Retaliation
by T-Rock14
Summary: Two years after the tragic Siege of Artika Prison and the subsequent Battle of Mobotropolis, The Empire now has ensnared Mobius into the already considerable amount of planets it holds sway upon. Under this new regime, the Freedom Fighters fight to topple it, as they had done with Eggman in the past. But little do they know, that one they thought was dead, still lives.
1. Chapter 1: Back in Action

**Chapter 1: Back in Action**

 _ **Spagonia Imperial Military Base, 20th June 3241, 23:50 pm**_

The lone figure lay atop a small ridge, which overlooked the base. He felt odd doing this, especially since it had been nearly six years since he'd last had to do this sort of thing. But things had changed since then. A lot of things had changed.

He'd grown in those few years, now standing at an imposing six feet tall, as opposed to being five-foot ten two years before. Two years before was when things had changed, and not necessarily for the better.

In his hands was your average sniper rifle, one he had carefully modified and upgraded to make it more deadly. One of his sky blue eyes stared down the sights, keeping it trained on the area of the base he was looking over, waiting for his target to appear. Being a sniper took patience, meaning that in order to get the best chance of a confirmed kill, one had to wait painful amounts of time to find the perfect shot. It wasn't a job for the attention deficient.

Next to him, his spotter lay nearby, glaring down a pair of electro-binoculars, also looking for their target.

"I don't get it." The sniper whispered. "Why isn't our target here yet? Intel said he'd be here around midnight."

"My thoughts exactly, Tails." The spotter replied. "But we should not waver. I sense he will be here soon."

"I hope you're right, Espio." The twin-tailed vulpine replied. "Because my trigger finger's starting to get really itchy."

"Patience, Tails." Espio cautioned. "We can't reveal our position now. Otherwise, all will be lost."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Tails retorted as they finally sighted a shuttle descending onto the landing pad.

"Tails, they're here." Espio said.

"I can see." Tails replied as the ramp lowered, an Imperial Officer stepping out of it.

As with most Imperial officers, this officer was wearing a neat tan uniform, apart from the hat that covered most officer's heads. As well as this, he was wearing black gloves and black boots. The plaque on his uniform, which was eight squares long, with the four on top coloured red, and the four underneath that were coloured blue. On either side of said plaque was a code cylinder, one on each side. This showed the officer's rank, which was colonel. The officer himself looked to be in his late thirties, with dark blonde hair and harsh green eyes.

"Got a visual. It's General Okada." Tails said. With a little dejection, Tails added. "I was hoping it would be the Grand Inquisitor."

"As was I. But we still have a chance to rid the planet of him. Do you have a shot?" Espio asked.

"Almost." Tails said, as he watched the general conferring briefly with the base's commanding officer, a commander from what it looked like, and starting to walk down from the landing pad towards the entrance into the base. Seeing a perfect shot, Tails smiled. "Gotcha." At this, he pulled the trigger.

The bolt that flew from his barrel did not hit where he would have preferred, which would be directly to the head, but to the chest, almost directly around the area the heart would be.

Promptly, General Okada toppled to the floor, as the commander and several officers moved to assist him.

Tails saw this, but got up, knowing that judging from where he had hit the General, there was next to nothing they could do. He'd bleed out from the wound before they could get a medic there to help. Turning to Espio, Tails said: "Let's move out. We're done here."

* * *

 _ **Spagonia University, 21**_ _ **st**_ _ **June 3241, 1:30 am**_

The pair stepped into the common room, where they found a sight they knew they were bound to see: Uncle Chuck, still up, alongside his partner, Professor Pickle.

"Good morning to you both." Said Professor Dillon Pickle. He was an old man in about his mid-to-late eighties, with greying hair, and eyes that were hardly visible under very bushy eyebrows. For clothing, he wore a brown suit and white shirt with a red bow tie, and shoes of a darker shade of brown than the rest of his suit.

"Morning, Professor." Tails replied as he unslung his sniper and placed it on the table, before removing most of his clothing until all he was dressed in was a vest and his combat trousers and boots. He was also wearing the white gloves all Mobians wore as well.

"So, was your mission successful?" Chuck asked.

"I think so." Tails replied. "I didn't have enough time to get a shot in to the head, so I went for the chest. I think I hit him in the heart area."

"That's all well and dandy, but who _was_ the Imperial dignitary coming to inspect the base?" Pickle asked.

"Disappointingly, it was General Okada." Tails said. "When I was hoping for the Grand Inquisitor."

Pickle and Chuck shared a look. Tails had been harbouring an intense desire to kill the Grand Inquisitor, aka Elias Acorn, for the death of his close friend, Jedi Knight Roman the Fox. In short, Tails had become a very vengeful person, brought on by the deaths of three people he cared about during the fateful Battle of Mobotropolis nearly two years before, those being Vanilla, mother of one of Tails' close friends Cream, King Acorn, Elias' father, and the father of Tails' close friend Princess Sally Acorn, and finally, Roman, the latter two especially, as he had been there when Elias had killed both of them personally.

Chuck got up and walked over to Tails, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Tails, I know how desperate you are to avenge Roman's death, but you can't let that get in the way of the task at hand. And revenge is not always the answer."

Tails pushed Chuck's hand off and said: "I don't need any advice. Just a clear shot at the bastard's head."

Chuck made to ask further, but a look of warning from Espio put him off. Sighing, Chuck walked back to his seat and sat down, asking the twin-tailed vulpine: "So, are you staying here for the night, or are you leaving soon?"

"Staying the night. The Imperials are likely to be scouring the city for any sign of the assassin, so any attempt at extraction tonight is a stupid idea." Tails said.

"So, it's to bed for you, then?" Chuck asked.

"No. Just need to do a few things to get ready for tomorrow, and then I'll turn in." Tails replied.

"Alright." Chuck said. "Goodnight then, Tails."

"Night." Tails replied as he watched his friends leave. Then, sighing, he went about his work.

* * *

 _ **At the same time, Spagonia Imperial Military Base…**_

Another lone figure stood atop a small ridge, which overlooked the base. Raising his electro-binoculars, he scoured the base.

Spagonia Imperial Military base was a relatively small base, with not much to look at. Just the usual garrison of a battalion of Stormtroopers and a few Imperial Walkers, or as they were now known to the figure, AT-STs.

The figure was garbed in a long black overcoat, which had a hood that hid the figure's face from view. The coat itself covered the majority of the figure's body, and was buttoned up with square buttons. It opened up at the waist, allowing for free movement, and revealed jet black combat trousers, and a holstered blaster pistol. Also holstered on his belt was a blaster rifle, an E-11 he had snatched from the corpse of an Imperial Stormtrooper that no longer needed it. Slung over his shoulder was a sniper rifle, which he intended to use as soon as he found an adequate entrance from which to enter the base.

The figure found it strange that security had been stepped up for some reason or other. Perhaps they had somehow found out he was coming. Or perhaps something had happened that had led to them stepping up security. Regardless, he needed to get in. His eyes soon fell upon the entrance from the landing pad. It wasn't too heavily guarded, only two Stormtroopers. Nodding, the figure knelt down, unslinging his sniper from his shoulder, and aiming down the sights, finally getting a bead on the two Stormtroopers, aiming directly for their heads. Smiling underneath his hood, he pulled the trigger, watching as the blaster bolt sailed through the air, entering the head of one Stormtrooper, who toppled onto the second Stormtrooper. Both fell to the floor, each with a neat hole in the side of their heads, and their brains spattered across the wall. The figure smiled as he lowered his sniper to the floor, and drew his blaster rifle. He had serious work to do.

* * *

 **Hello, and welcome to my latest Star Wars and Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction: Retaliation. Reason I'm making a start on this one is because, as some of you are aware, I'm putting my Transformers and Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfictions on hold for now.**

 **But other than that, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	2. Chapter 2: Shots Fired

**Chapter 2: Shots Fired**

 _ **Spagonia University, 9:45 am**_

"Tails, wake up!"

The twin-tailed vulpine blinked awake, seeing the worried visage of Uncle Chuck filling his vision. "What's wrong. Chuck?"

"The Empire are here. They're searching the whole campus." Chuck replied.

At that, Tails tossed off his covers and dressed, saying: "They close?"

"Not yet, thankfully." Chuck said. "But you and Espio need to get the heck out of here. Otherwise, the whole place is going to hell."

Tails nodded and gathered his equipment, holstering the blaster pistol he had used ever since Roman's death: A DL-44 Pistol, one that had once belonged to the vulpine Jedi. Along with his, he sheathed a combat knife, and a machete.

Chuck noticed something missing from Tails' belongings, and asked: "Tails, where are your lightsabers?"

Tails looked up and replied: "I don't need them to kill Elias. Just a clear line of sight, and a clear shot."

Chuck sighed. "Your vendetta against the Grand Inquisitor is going to get you killed one day. You know that?"

"As long as I take Elias with me, I couldn't care less." Tails snapped back at Chuck.

Chuck made to protest, but realised Tails would not be swayed. Sighing, he opened the door. "Espio's already waiting. You'd better move."

Tails nodded and walked out of the door, seeing Espio waiting for him.

"Certainly taking your time, given the circumstances." Espio said.

Tails scowled. "Save the chastising for later and let's just get out of here." As he said this, a university student burst in, shouting:

"They're here!"

Chuck swore under his breath as Professor Pickle entered the room, his suit dishevelled.

"You'd better leave while you still can, gentlemen." Pickle said. "We will try and keep the Imperial forces occupied."

"Let me guess;" Tails asked with some humour in his voice. "With cucumber sandwiches?"

"Perhaps. Which reminds me, Charles, how long until breakfast?" Pickle asked.

"No time for that now, Dillon, these guys need to go!" Chuck said as he ushered the two out.

* * *

 _ **Moments later…**_

Once out of the university, Tails and Espio took cover behind a speeder, waiting for what was to come. Their faces fell as they watched Chuck and Professor Pickle soon being dragged out from the latter's residence, which was near to the University by Stormtroopers.

Tails watched this with a sad look on his face, which quickly turned to shock as he sensed a presence he had not felt in two years. Looking up, his face hardened.

Descending to the ground was a Lambda Class Imperial Shuttle, its matte white finish standing out against the darker coloured buildings surrounding the area. The moment its descent finished, the ramp lowered, and a figure Tails had been dying to see for two years stepped down from the shuttle.

"Elias." Tails snarled.

The Grand Inquisitor looked about the area before continuing his walk towards the object of his visit: Uncle Chuck and Professor Pickle. Getting closer to them, Elias looked over Chuck before remarking: "Look how old you've gotten since our last meeting."

Chuck scowled. "Something far worse has happened to you."

Elias recalled having a similar argument two years earlier, one that had ended with someone's head rolling in the dirt. But he ignored it, instead focusing on the task at hand. "You know why I've come here. Don't you?"

"I do." Chuck replied, still staring defiantly at Elias. "But I also happen to know where you come from. _Before_ you were the Grand Inquisitor."

Elias ignored Chuck's attempt to direct the conversation to what he had been, instead saying: "The boy. Prower. I know you've been harbouring him." Turning away, he commanded: "And now you're going to give him up to the Galactic Empire!"

"Or what?" Chuck demanded.

Elias responded by motioning with his hands, as a beaten, bloodied young anthropomorphic dog stepped forward.

Chuck's eyes widened. "Muttski…"

The dog looked up, one eye swollen shut, attempting a pained smile, which faded the moment Elias' lightsaber appeared at his throat.

"Or I kill your young friend here." Elias said.

By now, Tails had set up his sniper, prepared to end the life of his vendetta's objective. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to face Espio.

"Now is _not_ the time to take your revenge." Espio cautioned. "We should be running, _not_ lingering."

"I'm not letting any of them die." Tails said as his finger tightened around the trigger of his sniper.

Meanwhile, Elias was getting impatient. "It's your call, Charles. Either you give up the boy, or your little mutt dies."

Chuck remained where he was, silent.

Professor Pickle instead piped up, saying: "They've left. With your dallying around here, you've likely lost them."

Elias's lightsaber left the area around Muttski's throat, as he approached the professor. "So you _were_ harbouring him." Elias said.

"The key word in that sentence is _were."_ Pickle replied. "They're far out of your reach by now."

Fresh rage filled Elias as he turned away. He had waited nearly two years for an opportunity of this kind, and he had let it slip through his fingers. Suddenly, a thought came to mind, one he had neglected beforehand. "You're right. They may have escaped." Turning to face the Professor and Charles, he replied: "But you're still a traitor nonetheless." With that statement, he spun his lightsaber, and in an instant, he brought it down on Professor Pickle, slashing the aged man from shoulder to hip.

* * *

 _ **With Tails and Espio, Nearby...**_

 _NO!_ Tails' mind screamed at him as he watched Professor Pickle fall. His face hardening, he aimed down the sights, drowning out Espio's pleading that they should leave, and pulled the trigger. The blaster bolt flew forth, ready to enter its target of the back of Elias' head.

Only for Elias to turn and block the bolt entirely, deflecting it back at the one who fired it.

Pain fried Tails' nervous systems as the bolt hit him in the shoulder, severing several crucial nerve endings and passing straight through. With a cry of pain, Tails toppled backwards, dropping his sniper.

Espio doubled over as the shot hit him as well, only with him, it hit him in the area of his liver.

Stormtrooopers jogged over and dragged them from their hiding spot, straight in front of Elias, who took off his mask, regarding both of them with a smile, especially Tails.

"Miles 'Tails' Prower." Elias said as he stepped forward. "I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time."

Tails looked up and replied sarcastically: "I'll bet you have."

Elias scoffed. "Sarcasm. It's to be expected from a teenager."

Tails gritted his teeth.

Elias knelt down, sensing Tails' fury. "That anger… It's coming off of you in droves."

Tails spat on the floor. "Tends to happen when you kill a person's close friend."

Elias seized Tails by the jaw, looking into the kit's blue eyes. "Still raw about Roman, are you? Well, here's a newsflash, kid. Roman's been dead for two years. _Get. Over it."_

Tails responded by spitting full force in Elias' face. "Fuck you!" The twin tailed vulpine snapped back.

Elias wiped some of the spit from his face before back-handing Tails across the face with the hand holding his lightsaber, drawing blood. "You son of a bitch." Elias snarled.

"Takes one to know one." Tails replied, drawing a few laughs from some of the Stormtroopers, who were elbowed into silence.

Elias scoffed at the comeback, replying: "Funny." Turning to the Stormtroopers, Elias commanded: "Take them away!"

Rough hands dragged Tails to his feet, pulling him towards the shuttle. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't get free.

Until suddenly, he heard one of the Stormtroopers shout: "Hey, what's that on that roof?"

Tails craned his neck to get a proper look at the newcomer.

The newcomer was dressed in full Mandalorian armour, something Tails recognised from pictures he remembered Roman showing him a few years before. The armour itself was a dark grey, painted with blue markings that covered some areas of the armour. A Mandalorian helmet hid the newcomer's face from view. Holstered on either hip was a WESTAR-35 Blaster Pistol. A jetpack was visible on his back.

Tails narrowed his eyes. Just what was going on?

Suddenly, the Mandalorian gave a signal, and a loud battle cry arose from nearby. Blue blaster bolts thudded into the Stormtroopers, cutting them down, as other white clad troopers burst into view.

Tails' eyes narrowed as he recognised the look of the armour, realising what these newcomers were: "Clones…"

The Mandalorian activated his jetpack, and sailed down to the floor, standing between the clones and drawing his pistols.

Elias, who had been watching all this with a glare, commanded: "Fire at will!" Instantly, the two sides opened fire, and all hell broke loose.

The Stormtroopers holding Tails were among the first to fall, dropping him to the ground sharply. Getting to his feet, Tails probed the still bleeding cut on his head, amid the blaster fire. It wasn't too deep, but still hurt nonetheless. He suddenly felt someone seize him by the shoulder, his wounded shoulder at that, and drag him behind cover. Letting out a yelp of pain, he lashed out, feeling something break underneath the force of his blow, before his saviour came into focus.

Espio knelt next to him, his nose bloody. "Next time you decide to punch something," the chameleon said, "make sure it's one of them, and not me. Now, we need to go!"

"No, not yet!" Tails said. "I want to wait this out. If those clones and that Mandalorian succeed, I want to thank them."

Espio rolled his eyes. "You sound like a boy who wants ice cream."

Tails wasn't paying attention, instead focused on their rescuers.

The Mandalorian was wielding his blasters like he was born to, downing Stormtroopers with next to relative ease, occasionally throwing a thermal detonator to do away with clusters.

The clones on either side of him were doing their part as well, taking out any Stormtroopers who planned to flank them.

This all continued until all that remained was Elias.

The Mandalorian motioned to his clone allies, gesturing towards Chuck and Muttski.

The clones nodded and ran to them, helping both up and helping them over somewhere near to Tails' and Espio's position.

The Mandalorian remained where he was, facing Elias.

"I don't know what hole you and your friends crawled from, Mandalorian." Elias said. "But you're interfering with official Imperial business. Now, I'm going to give this one chance to lower your weapons and walk away. Otherwise, we have a problem."

The Mandalorian said nothing, merely holstered his blasters.

"Atta boy." Elias said, smiling.

Suddenly, the Mandalorian snatched two things from his belt.

Tails watched this with surprise, and then his face became a massive grin when he realised what the objects were: Lightsabers.

* * *

 **Surprise!**

 **I have a feeling you all know who the Mandalorian is, but I'll let you find out next chapter.**

 **Till then, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	3. Chapter 3: Return of an Old Friend

**Chapter 3: Return of an Old Friend**

The Mandalorian ignited the lightsabers, with one lightsaber blazing a vibrant emerald green, and the other a vibrant sky blue.

Elias' eyes widened in surprise before his face hardened and he raised his own lightsaber, gritting his teeth. "Come on, then!" He shouted.

The Mandalorian obliged, charging the Grand Inquisitor. Their blades met at first in a vicious saber-lock, which Elias quickly pushed out of.

Elias quickly went on the offensive, jabbing for the Mandalorian's gut before suddenly twisting away and slashing at the Mandalorian's throat.

The Mandalorian rolled backwards to avoid the blow, countering with a slash with his left hand lightsaber, and a jab with his right hand lightsaber.

Elias blocked both blows, retaliating with a Force Push that knocked the Mandalorian off balance, charging at the Mandalorian with a fearsome war cry, slashing at the Mandalorian's torso. When this was blocked, Elias jumped back to avoid a slash at his torso, parried another, and struck out, intending to disable his opponent by slashing at their shoulder.

The Mandalorian sidestepped the attack, countering with a kick at Elias' knee, then lifting his own knee into the Grand Inquisitor's face, knocking Elias back. He made to attack further, but several blaster bolts came towards him, which he was forced to block as a squad of Imperial Stormtroopers ran towards him, eight blaster rifles keeping up a steady stream of fire at the Mandalorian.

Elias got to his feet and saw that for now, the battle was lost. Turning to the Stormtroopers, he commanded: "Fall back!" At this, he ran to his shuttle, picked up his mask, and entered it. The Stormtroopers simply followed him inside, and the shuttle lifted off, leaving the street, and the brief battle that had taken place, beneath it.

The Mandalorian watched them leave, before finally speaking, muttering a curse in Mandalorian: "Hut'uun." Turning to where Tails and Espio were, he said: "Okay! You can come out now!"

Tails' eyes narrowed at the Mandalorian's voice. It sounded familiar somehow, but he couldn't quite place his finger on who the voice belonged to. Turning to Espio and shrugging, they stepped out of their hiding place, facing the Mandalorian.

"You guys alright?" The Mandalorian asked. He was flanked by his two clone allies, and Uncle Chuck and Muttski, the former of which kept glancing back at where Professor Pickle lay dead.

Tails nodded. "We're fine. My shoulder's a little messed up from when I got shot though."

The Mandalorian nodded. "My girl can patch you up once we get back to the ship."

"You have a ship?" Tails asked.

"Yeah." The Mandalorian replied. Looking around, the Mandalorian added: "We'd better get out of here. The Grand Inquisitor's likely to come back with more troops."

Tails nodded. "Right." At this, he jogged over to where he had dropped his stuff once he had been captured, and grabbed everything, throwing Espio's stuff over to him. Turning to the Mandalorian, he said: "We're good."

"Awesome. Now, let's move." The Mandalorian said as he turned and headed off.

"Wait!" Tails called out.

"What's up?" The Mandalorian asked.

"I… I don't know your name." Tails said.

The Mandalorian seemed to consider this for a moment before realising something, saying: "I almost forgot I had this on. Sorry about that, Tails."

Tails blinked at that, asking: "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

The Mandalorian chuckled, saying: "It's been three years since we last met, but then again, I shouldn't be surprised, what with the change in attire." At this, the Mandalorian took off his helmet, revealing his face to the world.

Tails' eyes widened, suddenly recognising the Mandalorian.

The face that lay underneath the helmet was that of a ruggedly handsome young man, about nineteen years of age, framed by messy unkempt black hair, which hung over fierce grey eyes. The Mandalorian's nose looked as if it had been broken a multitude of times. The Mandalorian's mouth and lips were curled into a boyish grin, becoming of the young man's age.

Tails shook himself as he spoke the Mandalorian's name: "Seth?"

Seth Kerran smirked. "Long time, no see, Tails." The Mandalorian Jedi said.

* * *

Tails stared long and hard at Roman's close friend, unable to comprehend that Seth was actually here, in the flesh. Suddenly, his face curled into a grin of his own as he let out a joyful guffaw, running towards Seth and embracing the Mandalorian in a fierce hug, both laughing like lunatics as they did. Breaking the hug, Tails said: "Thank the Goddess you're here!"

"Glad to be back on Mobius in general." Seth replied. He looked around as he added: "Even if Mobius is in a pool of shit right now."

Tails nodded as he replied: "You can say that again." A thought came to mind, as he turned and said: "Hold on: Since Seth's here, then you guys must be:

"Clone Captain Shatter and ARC Trooper Tusk, reporting for duty, sir." Said one of the clones, the one with red markings and a special visor over his helmet visor. Taking off his helmet, it revealed the visage of a typical clone trooper, save for the long scar that stretched from the left side of his forehead to the line of his jaw.

Tails recognised the clone instantly. "Shatter. Glad to see you're still up and fighting."

"And I'll stay that way until a lightsaber takes my head off, or I get shot full of blaster bolts." Shatter said, smirking.

Tails chuckled and turned to Tusk, asking: "Aren't you going to take off your helmet?"

Tusk grunted in reply as he took off his helmet, revealing the same face, but more heavily scarred by far. "Happy now?"

Tails backed off, saying: "Sorry. Just trying to be sociable."

Seth sighed. "Sorry about Tusk. He's been pretty irritable ever since we left Mandalore."

"How come?" Tails asked.

"A story best served for when we get back to the ship." Seth replied. "Besides, Ahsoka's likely getting a bit lonely, what with only Crankshaft for company?"

Tails perked up. "Ahsoka? Crankshaft?" He asked.

Seth face-palmed. "Forgot I never told you my girlfriend's name. Well, now you know. Crankshaft's a Commando Droid we found and reprogrammed while on Mandalore. Made him more friendly for a start, and we also programmed some more fighting substance into him. Made him more kick-ass."

"Smart." Tails said. "Why didn't you bring him into the fight?"

"Haven't tested him in a controlled environment yet. Plus Ahsoka said she'd kill me if we ended up wasting all that time on something useless." Seth said.

"Speaking of Ahsoka, why isn't she here?" Tails asked.

Seth sweat-dropped. "Uh, somebody needed to guard the ship. She drew the short straw." He said, almost a little nervously.

Tails could sense the Mandalorian Jedi was lying, but decided to ask later. Turning to Espio, he beckoned him along. "Come on. Let's get out of here." Tails said as the group set off towards the ship, Seth in the lead.

* * *

 _ **Seth's ship, 10:30 am**_

The group had been walking for half an hour when they reached Seth's ship.

Tails couldn't help but be impressed.

Seth's ship was painted gunmetal grey, with black markings on various parts of the ship. Its length was about forty-three point nine meters long, and its width was thirty-four point two meters wide. It was fourteen and a half meters tall. For armament, it had one dorsal laser cannon turret that stuck out the back, one laser cannon turret on the nose of the craft, 1 twin laser cannon, and two proton torpedo launchers.

"Now, ain't she a beauty?" Seth said as he turned to face everyone. "It's a modified VCX-100 light freighter. I call her the Empire's Bane."

"Cool name for a cool ship." Tails said.

"Thank you." Seth said. "Though, I wasn't the one who named the ship."

Tails' eyes narrowed. "Then who did?"

"Me." Said a female voice.

Tails and Espio instantly looked up, sighting the newcomer.

She was a female Togruta of about nineteen years of age, like Seth, standing at about five-foot eleven, with orange coloured skin and deep blue eyes. As was normal for her kind, she didn't possess ears or hair, but long montrals, which rose like horns above her head. They looked as if they had just started growing. Falling down from her montrals were head-tails, or as they were properly referred to, lekku. These were coloured white, with blue stripes on them. Her face had white markings, arranged in a sort of pattern about her face. For clothing, she was wearing a dark brown skirt that reached about mid-thigh, with a diamond shaped hole in the middle, which exposed a slight but of cleavage. Her graceful legs were adorned with black leggings, with diamonds cut into them as well all the way down her legs, showing a bit of skin there as well. Over her hands and forearms were fingerless gloves of the same colouration as her dress, alongside several wrappings around her upper arms.

Tails deduced this from memory of what she had been wearing in pictures he'd seen of her, as she was currently wearing a greenish cloak over most of the attire. "Permit me to guess. You're the famous Ahsoka Tano?"

"That's me." Ahsoka said as she stepped down from the ship, kissing Seth as she got closer. "And you must be… Tails, wasn't it?"

"Tails nodded. "Or if you really want to, Miles Prower. At least, that's my real name."

Ahsoka folded her arms as she remarked: "You're certainly taller than Seth told me."

"True." Tails said. "But bear in mind it has been three years since he last saw me."

"Eh, I'll give that to him." Ahsoka said, flashing Seth a look.

"But anyways, what are you guys doing here?" Tails asked. "From what Seth told me, you were safe enough on Mandalore."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but we need to leave. Imperial troops could arrive in no time."

Seth groaned as a commando droid, or what was a commando droid stepped into view. "Okay, Crankshaft." Turning to everyone, he said: "Let's head on inside before Imps show up. Explanations can wait."

* * *

 _ **Half an hour later, 11:00 am**_

Tails stepped into the main room of the Empire's Bane to find all the ship's other occupants waiting for him save for Crankshaft, who was piloting the ship. He saw Espio offering him a seat, one he gladly accepted. Once seated, he asked the question that until now had been nagging at the back of his mind. "So… Do you both know what happened to Roman, then?"

Seth and Ahsoka both nodded. "His death was all over the Holo-Net, as was Roth's and the murder of the King." Seth replied, shedding a tear.

"We also came because we felt obligated." Ahsoka added. "We owe Roman a lot of things. Including the completion of his Padawan's training."

Tails' expression tightened. "Guys, I'm not sure you're aware, but I gave up playing Jedi the day Roman died. He… He left shoes that are too big for me to fill."

"Then let us help you fill them." Ahsoka said, placing a hand on Tails' shoulder. "Roman wouldn't have wanted you to stop training because he was dead. You could have easily sought us out."

Tails shook his head. "I did consider that. For a time. But I finally decided it would be best to leave you two alone. I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to you."

Seth and Ahsoka shared a look before Seth said: "Look, Tails. I know you want to avenge Roman equally as much as you do. He was our best friend. But to do that, you need to take up your lightsabers again. Guns won't cut it against guys like the Grand Inquisitor."

Tails turned away from the two Jedi, saying: "I've been without the Force for so long, I don't know if I'll be the same as I was."

"You will, Tails. You just need a little practice, and you'll be back where you left off." Ahsoka said.

Tails sighed as he got up. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I do need to take up my lightsabers again in order to stand a chance against Elias. But nonetheless, I need time to think this over." At this, he left the room, and its occupants. He needed somewhere private. Somewhere he could think.

* * *

 **So Seth and Ahsoka are finally in the picture. My first idea was to have them return at the end of my last one, but I thought better of it. Rest assured though, there are plenty of questions yet unanswered, including why Seth lied about why Ahsoka couldn't join the fight. Find out, by reading on. Once I have the next chapters up, of course.**

 **Besides, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	4. Chapter 4: Something to Celebrate

**Chapter 4: Something to Celebrate**

 _ **Meanwhile, somewhere in Spagonia, about the same time…**_

The door swung open as the hooded figure stepped in, letting out a sigh.

"Good job on your first successful mission." Called out a voice.

The figure chuckled. "You mean my first successful mission since returning to full health, Silver."

"Whatever!" The light grey hedgehog shouted back, poking his head out so that he was in the figure's line of sight.

The hooded figure laughed as he stepped further into the house, just as a purple furred cat came downstairs.

"You know, you can take off your hood now. There's no-one watching." She said.

"Got a point there, Blaze." The figure said, throwing off his hood, revealing the visage of a young red furred anthropomorphic fox in his very early twenties, with half his right ear missing, and warm brown eyes. A long scar stretched across his right cheek. Rolling his shoulders, the fox said: "Damn, it feels good to be back in action."

"Still, what took you so long getting back?" Blaze asked.

"Search of the town. Apparently the Freedom Fighters took out a key commander of the Imperial Army that arrived at the base shortly before I blew the whole place sky high, which they think the Freedom Fighters also did." The fox replied.

"Glad to hear it." Blaze said. "This mission was risky enough. If it weren't for the Freedom Fighters, we'd have been discovered for sure."

"You can say that again." The fox said, with a tinge of longing.

Blaze caught on, and raised an eyebrow. "Still think we should have done something more dramatic?"

"Yeah. Something that sends a proper message to the Empire, basically saying: 'Fuck you, I'm not dead!' Something like that." The Fox said.

"Somehow, I think blowing up a military base is enough of a 'fuck you' for now, Roman." Silver said pointedly.

"Not for me." Roman said.

Blaze sighed. "Roman, I know how desperate you are to link back up with the Freedom Fighters. But for now, that simply isn't an option. The Grand Inquisitor, and the Empire in general, think you're dead. And I know I've said this before. But for now, that works in our favour."

"It may work in our favour, but it doesn't work in the Freedom Fighters' favour." Roman retorted. "All we're doing is creating more problems for them."

"Knowing the Freedom Fighters, they'll find a way to overcome them. You and I both know that." Blaze said. "They always have."

"And knowing the Empire, they'll likely send Elias after the Freedom Fighters. Which likely means that Tails will be in the most danger." Roman countered. "He hasn't completed his Jedi training, which means he is unprepared for what is coming his way."

Blaze nodded and placed her hands on Roman's shoulders. "Rome, I know that you're itching to get back out there and help, but please. Just have faith in the Freedom Fighters. Knowing Sally, she has a trick or two up her sleeve."

* * *

 _ **In the meantime, a few hours later, Angel Island, 13:00 pm**_

The moment the ramp lowered, Tails walked down to find a familiar face waiting for him.

"Afternoon, Tails." Sally said. She had grown slightly in the past two years, standing at the same height as Tails, having grown to that height from her previous height of five-foot eleven. She was wearing the same ensemble as she had done for a long time, with the slight change to black combat trousers. Also, hanging from her left hip was another familiar object, one Tails had come to see as a familiar part of her gear: Roman's lightsaber. She had put the weapon to good use, having cut down many a Stormtrooper since the Freedom Fighters had sprung back into action almost a year ago. Other than that, she looked as she usually did: stunning.

Tails smiled and hugged Sally, saying: "Mission successful, Sally."

Sally sighed. "Sadly, that isn't true. Colonel Okada managed to survive our attempt on his life, and the subsequent destruction of the base."

"Which we had not part of." Espio said. "But the Empire are blaming us nonetheless."

Sally frowned. "Sounds to me like there's someone else out there resisting the Empire." She looked up and smirked. "And I doubt either of you guys had something to do with this?"

"Nope." Seth replied as he too walked down the ramp, Ahsoka at his side. "We did not."

Sally smiled and said: "Long time, no see, Seth. I see you're putting your heritage to good use."

Seth scoffed. "Not my first choice."

Sally regarded Seth with a smile before finally walking over and hugging the Mandalorian Jedi, surprising him. "I'm thankful that you decided to come, especially at a time like this."

Tails, who until then had been talking to Ahsoka, perked up at this. "Wait a second." He said, standing next to Seth, folding his arms. "You knew he was coming?"

Sally nodded. "He called me as soon as his ship entered Mobian space. I… told him where you were, so that's where he went."

Tails' eyes narrowed. "There's a thing such as a heads-up, Sally. Maybe if I was expecting Seth to arrive, things may have turned out differently."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"We lost Dillon." Chuck said. "Elias struck him down, while Tails and Espio made a break for it."

Sally sighed. "Another friend gone." She said. Looking to Tails, Sally said: "I guess I could have given you a bit of a warning. I guess I was so excited about Seth's arrival, it slipped my mind."

"No offence Sally, but your excitement got a good person killed." Chuck said.

Sally nodded "I'm aware of that, so no need to remind me, Charles." Looking to Tails, she asked: "So, what's your decision?"

"On what, exactly?" Tails asked.

"Resuming your training as a Jedi." Sally said. "It was one of the subjects me and Seth discussed after he called."

Tails nodded with a frown. "Now that I've thought about it a little, I think that I'll pass."

Sally's face fell into one of disappointment. "Tails-"

"Kidding!" Tails shouted, his face now a grin. "I am going to resume training. It's like Seth said: guns won't cut it against Elias. Lightsabers will. Guns can be a last resort."

Sally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Goddess. You legitimately had me worried there."

Tails smiled and patted his friend's shoulder. "It's not a problem. Besides, I think it's about time I brushed the dust off my lightsabers."

"Glad that you decided to take them up again." Seth said. "With Roman's death, I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"You're forgetting another Jedi here." Tails said, jerking a thumb towards Ahsoka, who looked at Seth.

"You didn't tell him?" She asked.

"Tell me what?" Tails asked, curious.

Ahsoka sighed, punched Seth on the shoulder and said: "What we're getting at is that Seth lied when he gave his reasons for me not being there when he rescued you."

"I suspected as much." Tails replied. "So, why weren't you there when Seth was helping?"

Ahsoka placed her hands on her hips, saying: "First of all, while I'm still not officially a Jedi anymore because of my leaving the Order before Order Sixty-Six, I'm still a very good Force user, meaning I'm one of Vader's main targets when it comes to Jedi. Second of all:" As she said this, she pulled off the cloak that she had been wearing until then, revealing a slightly swollen belly. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

Tails blinked as if he'd been slapped before his face curled into a grin and remarked: "That's awesome! Congratulations!" as he hugged the young Togruta.

Ahsoka smiled. "Thanks." She replied as she hugged Tails back.

"How far along are you?" Sally asked as she walked over.

"About four months along." Ahsoka replied.

"Sweet." Tails said, stepping away as Sally hugged Ahsoka as well.

"Totally called this reaction." Seth said as he stepped next to Tails, smirking. "She'll be like this for hours now."

"You got to admit though. It is cute." Tails remarked. "Besides, we could certainly use something to celebrate other than another successful strike against the Empire." Turning to face Seth, Tails asked: "So, you excited to be a dad?"

Seth nodded. "I remember the day she told me she was pregnant. I literally threw a mini celebration right there and then. Especially since we'd been trying for a baby for a good while before then."

"Aren't you guys a little young to be having children though?" Chuck asked.

Seth shrugged. "It's not too much of a problem for us. We got a lot of money together via me and the clones doing work as mercenaries. Some of that went towards buying the Empire's Bane." Seth said, gesturing towards his ship as he said so.

Chuck nodded, realising how responsibly Seth was taking his upcoming role. Patting Seth on the shoulder, Chuck said: "I'd better go. Sonic's likely waiting for me with a plate of chili-dogs." At this, Chuck walked off.

Seth watched him leave before walking towards Ahsoka, saying: "Okay, okay. Give the girl some space." Once he got close enough, he wrapped an arm around Ahsoka. "You okay, 'Soka?"

Ahsoka nodded, placing a hand on her swollen belly. "Yeah. Guess my excitement to be a mother just skyrocketed."

Seth placed his own hand over Ahsoka's belly, saying: "As if you weren't excited enough."

Ahsoka giggled. "True. But you're not exactly a saint in that department either." As she said this, she kissed Seth.

Tails watched this little moment unfold with a small smile. It was high time the Freedom Fighters had something to celebrate.

* * *

 **So Roman is alive and Ahsoka is pregnant.**

 **Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been at sixes and sevens ever since the Easter Holidays began, what with me and my family in the middle of moving.**

 **Other than that, please leave your reviews, and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	5. Chapter 5: Another Jedi?

**Chapter 5: Another Jedi?**

 _ **Castle Eggman, at the same time…**_

"That went well." Elias said as he entered his personal quarters, removing his mask and sat down.

"Kid slip through your fingers again?"

Elias looked up to find his colleague, the Female Inquisitor, standing there, staring at him. "You could say that. But not through any fault of mine."

"Let me guess: the incompetence of your men?" The Female Inquisitor asked.

Elias shook his head. "No. The boy had help. From an unexpected source."

The Female Inquisitor's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Elias scowled. "Another Jedi."

The Female Inquisitor's eyes widened. _"Another_ one?"

Elias nodded. "I couldn't see his face. He was wearing Mandalorian Armour and wielded two lightsabers. One was blue, one was green."

The Female Inquisitor scowled as well, holding her chin as she thought. "Sounds familiar… I recall facing someone similar on Tatooine a year or two ago."

Elias looked at her and asked: "Was he wearing a Mandalorian helmet and armour with blue markings?"

The Female Inquisitor nodded. "He barely escaped my grasp. Only reason I failed to defeat him was because of two clones attacking me before I could deliver a coup de grace."

"I encountered similar when the Mandalorian attacked me." Elias said. "Do you know the name of this new Jedi?"

"I do." The Female Inquisitor said. "His name is Seth Kerran. A close friend of the now deceased Roman the Fox."

"I remember the name." Elias said. "Style was similar as well, despite our duel lasting at least under a minute until I was forced to escape. Boy took me by surprise, I'll give him that."

"As he did me at first. But I was able to weather that storm and defeat him. One weakness of his is that he gets overconfident after a while. _That's_ when things start to tip in his opponent's favour." The Female Inquisitor advised.

Elias nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He said. Standing up, Elias said: "We should keep this between just us two. If Eggman were to find out we had another Jedi on Mobius, he'd snap."

"Agreed. We should let Frederick in on this as well, though. He's always been one we can trust." The Female Inquisitor said.

"Fine. I'll go down and talk to him now." Elias said as he headed out of his quarters, making sure to put on his mask beforehand.

* * *

 _ **Frederick the Cat's office, a few minutes later…**_

"Grand Inquisitor. This is a decent surprise." Frederick said as he sat forward, taking a puff out from his deathstick. He looked a lot better than he had looked two years ago, as he now had a new cybernetic right eye, through which the scar that had cost him his original one ran. Furthermore, he now also had a mechanical right arm, the hand of which was covered with a black glove, as was his left hand. He now wore the uniform of an Imperial Security Bureau Agent, with a custom made helmet lying on the desk nearby. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I need to tell you something." Elias replied as he sat down in the seat across from Frederick.

"No surprise there." Frederick said. "You're always telling me things. What is it today? The weather?"

Elias frowned at the joke before saying: "This is serious. Something Eggman can never be allowed to find out unless utterly necessary."

"Oh?" Frederick asked, sitting further forward, his expression also serious. "And what might this secret be?"

Elias sat forward as well. "As you're aware, I was in Spagonia trying to apprehend Miles Prower. I would have done so, had it not been for an unexpected development."

"What unexpected development?" Frederick asked.

Elias grimaced. "Another Jedi."

Frederick sat back, taking another puff. "Oh dear. You _are_ in trouble." He said sarcastically.

"He's nothing I won't be able to handle next time we meet." Elias replied. "But I'd prefer for this to stay between me, you, and the Female Inquisitor. If Eggman were to find out, he'd panic and likely start repressing the people."

"Not necessarily a bad thing, that. These people are proving troublesome, even after two years." Frederick said as he stubbed out his deathstick.

"True. But I believe it would be beneficial to both parties; us, and the people, if this was kept out of Eggman's knowledge. You know how he can be." Elias said.

"Don't we all?" Frederick said sarcastically, tenting his hands. Nodding, Frederick added: "Alright. We'll keep this information secret. At this point, it's for the best."

"And if this Jedi reveals himself to Eggman, we all deny prior knowledge of him." Elias said.

"Agreed." Frederick said, holding out his hand for Elias to shake, which the Grand Inquisitor did immediately.

"Thank you, Frederick." Elias said, standing up. "Now, that's one less headache for me to deal with."

* * *

 _ **Elias' Quarters, later…**_

Stepping into his quarters, Elias found a familiar sight waiting for him, at which he smiled beneath his mask. "Colonel Aryn. A pleasant surprise."

"I was wondering when you'd return. The Female Inquisitor told me where you were, so, I decided to wait for you." Aryn confessed, rising from where she was sitting, which was on Elias' deskchair. She was still in her uniform, which was usual, as today was one of the days she was on duty. The only difference was, her hat was on the bed, and she had unpinned her hair, letting it fall down in beautiful brown curls.

Elias folded his arms, smirking. "You should have come back later, when I was less bothered with matters."

"What's to say I wasn't a little impatient?" Aryn said seductively, stepping closer to Elias and pressing herself against him. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Elias responded by grabbing her by the hair and pulling her head back, kissing her aggressively as soon as he did. "You're going to regret breaking protocol tonight." He said.

"Oh, will I?" Aryn said, kissing Elias back, equally as aggressively.

"You could say that." Elias replied, breaking the kiss. "Anyways, you'd best return to your duties. I have research to do."

"Research? For what?" Aryn asked.

"It's classified, so I can't tell you. Yet." Elias said. "I could get you clearance so you can assist me in future ventures."

"Sounds good to me." Aryn said as she broke away from Elias, pinning her hair back up and placing her hat on. "I'll see you tonight then?"

"Oh, you will." Elias said as he turned from her and sat at his desk, switching on his data-pad. He had some research to get on with.

* * *

 **This chapter was a b*tch to write, as I struggled with writers' block for most of it. But I finished it, and now it's here.**

 **Nevertheless, please leave your reviews, and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	6. Chapter 6: High Profile

**Chapter 6: High Profile**

 _ **Two weeks later, Angel Island, The Master Emerald's shrine, 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **July 3241, 19:30 pm**_

"Okay people. Listen up." Sally said as she stepped into the room. She had changed her attire to that of a black combat jumpsuit, with some armour strapped over it. Her LL-30 Blaster Pistol hung on her right hip, and Roman's lightsaber hung on her right. Sheathed in a sheath sewn into one of her boots was a mean looking combat knife, and sheathed on her back was a bowie knife, just in case things got too close quarters for her to use Roman's lightsaber. "This is out most high profile operation yet."

Before them stood a holo-table, which Sally quickly activated, revealing an impressive Imperial military base, set in a familiar location to all the Freedom Fighters.

"That's Avalon." Amy Rose said. "Lord Mordred Hood's old base of operations

"Rather, what _used_ to be Avalon." Said a familiar voice as Nicole appeared out of thin air. "Now it's one of the biggest Imperial Fortresses on Mobius. Pretty big place if you ask me."

"Now, that's all well and dandy." Came the voice of Sonic. "But how're we taking it down?"

"All I'll say is that it won't be easy." Nicole elaborated. "We have Imperial Walkers patrolling almost the entire perimeter at regular intervals. And by Imperial Walkers, I mean AT-ATs."

The Freedom Fighters all groaned. AT-ATs were massive Imperial Walkers, ones they had seen in action since the Imperial conquest of Mobius.

"Moving on, we have the defences that were in place before the Imperials came into the picture, but they're updated, including the main guns, which makes aerial insertion impossible." Nicole added. "Our only way in is via a small stream that runs near Avalon. The Imperials have diverted some of the stream into the base, so they have a natural source for it. What they failed to do was make the entrance for the water small enough that no-one can fit in."

"So, what do we do once we're in?" Asked a voice everyone knew well, as Ashley the Cat stepped forward.

She hadn't changed much in the two years since the death of Roman, whose lover she'd been. Except grow even more stunning. Like Sally, she was wearing a black jumpsuit, though unlike Sally, she wore no armour. Her signature blaster, a DL-18 Pistol, hung on her right hip, as did her knife, which was sheathed behind her pistol.

"The base is now powered by your typical reactor. Blow that up, and it starts a chain reaction that'll lead to the entire thing getting blown sky-high." Nicole replied.

"Sounds straightforward enough for me." Seth said. "Who's on the team?"

"For this op, I'm bringing you, Shatter, Tusk, Tails, Ashley, and of course, Sonic. Any more questions?" Sally asked.

One hand went up.

"Yes?" Sally said.

"May I be allowed to join the mission? I feel ready." The figure asked.

Sally smiled. "I think you're ready as well. So, welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Princess." Said the figure, who now stepped forward, revealing a familiar lop eared female rabbit. "I won't let you down." Cream said, smiling gently.

* * *

 _ **Spagonia, Roman, Silver and Blaze's safehouse, at the same time…**_

"So, Efrika Military base this time, huh?" Roman asked as he sat by the holo-map. Shaking his head, Roman said: "I don't know, guys. It's more high profile than Spagonia."

"Roman, we're aware of that, but me and Silver have decided it's time to step things up a bit." Blaze said. "The plus side is that it might make the Empire realise that the Freedom Fighters aren't the only problem out there."

Roman sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. But on one condition: If the Freedom Fighters are there, I get to reveal myself to them. Two years is enough time to pretend to be dead."

Blaze frowned. "Fine. But _only_ if it's one person, and they're alone. Preferably Sally, since she likely has your lightsaber."

"Done." Roman said. "But how're we getting there? We haven't exactly got anything in terms of transport."

Silver grinned. "See Roman, _that's_ where you're wrong."

Blaze sighed. "While you were out on your last op a fortnight ago, Silver went and commandeered an Imperial Shuttle."

Roman turned to the light grey hedgehog and remarked: "You crazy son of a bitch. Did you switch off its tracking system?"

Silver nodded. "I did. I think."

Roman groaned. "If you've somehow brought the Empire onto us, I'll kick your balls so hard they'll end up replacing your eyes."

Silver went a deathly white colour at that thought.

Roman smirked. "Yeah, try fucking Blaze looking like that. I bet she'll be eternally turned off by that shit."

At this, both Silver and Blaze blushed incredulously. "I thought these walls were soundproofed." Silver said nervously. "And how did you know we were… doing that?"

"Well, if that's the case, you guys clearly _broke_ that shit, because I could hear you two doing the nasty in your room from mine." Roman replied. "Have you any idea how hard it is to sleep when you have two teenagers having sex in a nearby room who can't keep quiet?"

"Um, young adults, Roman." Silver said. "Me and Blaze are eighteen, nineteen later on this year."

"To me, that's still a teenager." Roman said.

Silver and Blaze groaned in embarrassment. "Why us?" Blaze asked Silver.

"You tell me." Silver replied.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, Avalon Imperial Military Base, 20:30 pm**_

The eight figures ascended from the water like wraiths, each covering a distinct part of the area around them, blaster pistols in hand, or in the two clones' case, blaster rifles.

"Area around us is clear, Sally. Should we keep moving?" Seth asked. He was dressed as before in full Mandalorian armour. In his hand he was holding one of his WESTAR-35s. The other sat safely in its holster, and Seth's lightsabers hung from his belt tucked out of sight behind his pistol holsters.

Sally nodded. "Yeah. Let's move." She said.

Once everyone was out, Sally looked about them, asking: "Everyone clear on the plan?"

Seth nodded. "Me, Ashley, Tails, Shatter and Tusk provide a distraction for the Imperial forces, whilst you and your people get on with the mission."

"Exactly." Sally said, hugging Seth. "Good luck guys. May the Goddess watch over you."

Seth turned and retorted: "Sorry, Sally. Never believed in any gods. Today's no exception." At this, he and his ilk disappeared from view.

Sally sighed at this, taking out Nicole and asking: "Nicole, what's the fastest way to the reactor? And what's our route out of there?"

Nicole appeared on the main screen of the small computer she was housed in, saying: "We've already covered the fastest route to the main reactor. The fastest route out of here is via the hangar. So we're going to need to disable the anti-air guns so that Ahsoka can evac us with the Empire's Bane."

"Sounds like a job for Seth and his team." Sally said, contacting Seth soon after: "Seth, we've got a little extra mission for you to do."

"Name it." Seth replied on his side of the comm.

"We need you to deactivate the main anti-air guns so that Ahsoka can evac us when this mission's over." Sally replied.

"Sounds good to me." Seth said. "Though I have to ask why you're putting Ahsoka, _and_ my unborn kid in danger."

"She's our only choice. Our other pilot, that being Shade, has been pretty ill recently." Sally replied.

"Fine." Seth said. "But only if she-" He never finished his sentence, leaving Sally worried.

"Seth? Seth, are you there?" Sally asked, starting to panic.

"Relax, I'm still alive." Seth said. "It's just me and Tails felt a rather dark presence in the Force."

Sally's eyes widened. "You don't mean-"

"I think we do. Elias is _here. In_ Avalon." Seth said.

* * *

 _ **Avalon Hangar, at the same time…**_

Elias descended the steps to find the commander of the base, Lord General Mordred Hood, waiting for him.

"G-Grand Inquisitor. It is indeed an honour for us to be graced with your pre-"

"Dispense with the pleasantries, Lord Hood." Elias snapped with a wave of his hand. "And get to the point before I decide listening to you is not worth the bother Eggman told me it was."

Mordred sweat-dropped. "Ah yes. We have subjugated most of the populace of this region, but we're having problems."

"Permit me to guess: Bow and his gang?" Elias asked, narrowing his eyes at Mordred.

Mordred nodded, now lightly perspiring.

Elias rolled his eyes underneath his mask. "I guess it is high time you were taught how to effectively deal with rebellions like the ones you're having so many problems with. Men, take him to the-" Elias paused, looking away from Mordred as he folded his arms.

"Is everything well, Grand Inquisitor?" Mordred asked.

Elias nodded. "All is well, Lord Hood. I just sensed the presence of two people I've been looking for. And others." Looking back at Mordred, he pointed a gloved hand at Mordred. "It appears you have intruders on your base, Hood."

Mordred nodded. "My apologies. I shall send for troops to-"

"That will not be necessary. I shall face the people I'm looking for _alone."_ At this, the Grand Inquisitor turned and swept away from them, taking a squad of Stormtroopers with him.

Lord Hood turned to his aide and snarled: "Well, what are you waiting for? Double the patrols! I want these intruders found before they can cause any damage!"

* * *

 _ **With Sally and her group…**_

Peeking around a corner, Sally quickly looked away, as several Stormtroopers jogged past.

"Keep a lookout, men." Said their commander. "Just got a communique from Lord Hood. We have intruders on the base, including potential Jedi."

Sally sighed. "So much for stealth." At this, she drew her pistol, and without much effort, shot the first trooper in the back.

"What the-" The Sergeant asked as he turned, and got his answer by way of a knife to the throat.

"Sorry for interrupting, Mister." Cream said as she jerked the knife free, whirling around and opening the throat of a second trooper, just as the trooper nearby raised his blaster rifle at her. Cream was quicker though, and kicked the rifle from the trooper's hand, while at the same time stabbing him in the abdomen, ripping her knife out violently enough that the Stormtrooper's guts spilled out of his abdomen soon after.

The three remaining Stormtroopers fell seconds later to Cream's knife, with everyone watching with absolute shock.

"That was _scary."_ Sonic remarked with wide eyes. "I never thought I'd see the day that Cream became scary."

"Thank Espio for training her." Sally said. "Now she's deadly with a knife."

"But thankfully, I'm still me." Cream said as she walked up.

Cream had grown into a fine young preteen after her mother's death, having for one grown taller, so that she now stood at five foot ten as opposed to the five foot eight she had been two years before. Already, she was showing the signs of turning into an average teenage girl, with curves already beginning to form on her twelve-year old body. The only difference was she now had a single knife hanging from her belt, as well as a small blaster pistol. Out of the two, she used the knife more.

Sally holstered her pistol as she looked to everyone, saying: "We'd best keep moving. Any Stormtrooper with decent hearing would have heard that."

"I agree." Sonic said, after getting over his shock at Cream's sudden skill with a knife. At this, the group continued to move, determined to keep to their mission.

* * *

 _ **Base Control Room…**_

The door opened with a loud but short hissing sound as Tails looked into the room. For the most part, the control room was deserted, save for a few technicians that soon left, although not because they spotted the intruders. Turning to Seth, he whispered: "Room clear."

Seth nodded and turned to Shatter and Tusk, gesturing with his hand for them to take point.

Shatter moved first, stepping into the room, followed suit by Tusk, who adopted a similar position. "Area secure." Shatter said clearly.

Tails and Seth quickly entered the room, the latter quickly contacting Sally: "Sally, this is Seth. We're in the control room. What do we need to do?"

"Go to the nearest console you can find and get into their systems. From there, it should be a walk in the park for Tails." Sally answered.

"Excuse me Sally, but what do you mean 'should'?" Tails demanded. "I can hack anything no problemo."

"That was Eggman's tech you're talking about Tails." Sally said. "This is top of the line stuff you're dealing with. A lot more advanced than anything Eggman concocted during his time out of power."

"Be that as it may, still shouldn't be that big a problem for me." Tails said as he stepped up to the nearest computer and fished a data-screen from the small bag he had slung on his back. Connecting the device to the console, he spotted on the console screen a requirement for the access code. Tails scowled in distaste. This made things a tad more difficult. He usually found this easy, as with Eggman, it was always easy what Eggman was going to put as the access code: Either his own name or something he liked to eat. Now he was dealing with Imperials instead, he had no idea what the Imperials would use as their access codes. Tails shook his head. He was a hacker, he didn't need the access codes. So, he began to type on his data-screen, creating a series of codes and sent it against the mainframe. Nothing happened. "Okay." Tails murmured to himself. "They have a pretty good firewall." He shrugged. "Looks like I need to do more complicated stuff."

This continued like this for several minutes before Ashley came up to Tails. "Everything going well?"

"Yeah." Tails answered. "It's been difficult… But I am in, and now all I got to do is shut the anti-air guns down."

"Well, do it!" Seth shouted angrily at the twin-tailed Jedi.

"Okay, okay. Geez, I know you want to get back in bed with Ahsoka, but come on! Try and keep that boner down for now, please!" Tails asked.

Ashley and the clones burst out laughing as Seth blushed.

"Please just turn off the anti-air guns, Tails." Seth said as politely as he could while gritting his teeth.

"Will do." Tails said, as he typed in the necessary commands to actually disable the guns. Within a few seconds the console screen flashed with the words: _**ANTI-AIR GUNS DISABLED.**_ "Excellent." Tails said as he disconnected his stuff and faced Seth. "Now we can get out of here."

The sound of a lightsaber igniting quickly dispelled any such thought.

"I'm afraid that's no longer possible for the pair of you."

Tails and Seth both turned to find a very familiar person standing nearby, lightsaber drawn.

Tails scowled. "Elias."

* * *

"That's _Grand Inquisitor_ to you, Jedi." Elias spat as he stepped forward.

"You'll always be Elias to me." Tails said, facing Elias completely. He suddenly found a hand in his way.

"I'll handle this, Tails." Seth said as he stepped forward.

Tails made to protest, but Seth's expression was clear that there was to be no argument.

Elias remained where he was standing, saying: "How pathetic. Stopping the fight that should be happening right now from happening so that you can get the credit yourself."

"It's nothing like that, Grand Inquisitor." Seth replied. "Tails isn't ready to face you yet. If he was, then I would gladly step aside and let you two fight it out. But he isn't."

Elias scoffed. "Underestimating his abilities, are you? Then again, overconfidence was always a weakness for you, Seth Kerran."

Seth froze. "How the fuck do you know my name?"

"It's no issue to you now. Especially since you're about to die!" Elias shouted as he lunged.

Seth spun to the side as he avoided the blow, drawing and igniting his lightsabers.

Elias instantly feinted a slash at Seth's midsection before twisting into a standard fencing lung, intended to spear his enemy through the chest and end the fight early.

Seth countered by blocking Elias' lightsaber and leading it into the ground with both lightsabers before striking out with a knee, catching the Grand Inquisitor square in the face and causing him to stagger back in a daze. Spinning his lightsabers, Seth launched his own attack, mixing kicks or knees in with his sequences, and even attacking from the air as he did, often using the machinery around them to leap high into the air to have an angle of attack.

Elias blocked, parried, ducked or dodged the blows coming his way as best he could, as his duel with Seth continued. They fought all over the room for the better part of about five minutes, until finally, Elias grew tired. He blocked a double pronged downward slash from Seth, punched the Jedi hard in the face, head-butted Seth extremely hard, and reached out with the Force, throwing Seth into a nearby wall.

"Seth!" Tails called out.

Ashley, Shatter and Tusk opened fire, but Elias blocked the majority of the bolts, lashing out with a Force Push that sent both clones, and the anthropomorphic cat flying into the wall behind them.

Tails dived out of the way just in time, getting up and facing Elias alone.

"It's just you and me now, _Miles."_ Elias said, saying Tails' real name like it were a taunt.

Tails shrugged as he said: "Gotta catch me first!" At this, he lashed out with a Force Push of his own, surprising Elias and knocking the Grand Inquisitor back. Once he had done this, he bounded out of the room, just as Elias got to his feet.

Elias regained his composure rapidly, and stormed out after Tails, making sure to close and seal the door behind him. He was not allowing Tails to escape this time.

* * *

 _ **Main Reactor room…**_

"Sal, now might be a good time to get those bombs primed!" Sonic called out as he barely ducked a blaster bolt.

"I concur with Mr Sonic. Please hurry, Princess!" Cream called out as she popped out of cover and snapped off a few blaster shots.

"Hold them a little longer!" Sally called out. "I'm almost done!"

"No offence, Sally, but all I can say is hurry up!" Sonic shouted to his wife.

Sally shook her head and continued setting the bomb she was planting. Out of ten that she was planting, all around the main reactor, she had planted seven. The reason she was taking so long to plant them was that Rotor had strictly advised her to do so, as one quick movement would release all the chemicals into the ignition chamber, and cause the loss of the unlucky victim's hand and perhaps most of that victim's facial features as well. Everything had to be done agonisingly carefully, which, judging by her brief conversation with Sonic just now, was a luxury they soon wouldn't be able to have, and she'd have no choice but to move quickly, and with luck, blow the place sky high with them in doing so.

She could hear Sonic cursing as he ducked the endless hail of bolts, and Cream admonishing him for using 'such abhorrent language'. Sally cracked a smile at this. Despite having gotten older, Cream had not forgotten her mother's raising her to be polite and courteous, and to have no tolerance of rudeness. It had gotten quite amusing to be perfectly honest. She just hoped they could buy her enough time to finish planting the bombs.

* * *

 _ **With Tails…**_

The doors hissed open as Tails sprinted through at full pelt, allowing the Force to keep him moving, despite the protests of Tails' leg muscles, which were loaded with several minutes worth of oxygen debt. He could hear the heavy footed footsteps of Elias, who was a matter of metres behind him.

"You won't be able to run forever, Miles!" Elias shouted at Tails.

"I know! But do you see me stopping?!" Tails retorted as he continued running. He could see the hangar before him, his only chance of escaping Elias. It was possible for him to run through the doors, and then close and seal them, buying him precious time to prepare for a fight. He could sense that Elias was somehow gaining on him, but he focused on reaching the hangar entrance as fast as possible.

Until the door to the entrance closed with an audible hiss.

Skidding to a halt, Tails' legs finally got the reprieve they so badly needed, as the twin tailed vulpine heard Elias' voice taunting:

"Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, Miles. Time to end this." Elias said as his run slowed to a walk.

Tails turned to face Elias, his face defiant. "It's _Tails,_ Elias. At least get your facts right about the person you're about to fight."

Elias scoffed. "Cute."

"It's common logic, though." Tails said.

"Since when did common logic save a person's life?" Elias demanded as he began to circle Tails, who did the same.

"It's saved numerous lives in street fights." Tails said.

"True." Elias said. "But this is no street fight. This is a lightsaber duel." At this, he drew his lightsaber, the crimson blade bathing the area around Elias in a ghostly but bloody light.

Tails reluctantly took his own lightsabers from his belt, the feel of their hilts in his hands reassuring him considerably. By now, Elias had reached where Tails had been standing before he and Tails had started circling each other, and Tails had reached where Elias had been standing. "Be that as it may, _you_ are now in-between _me_ and my way out." At this, he ignited his lightsabers, the aqua blue blades illuminating him in a ghostly blue light.

Elias looked at his position, and replied: "Oh, am I? Well, it appears you'll need to get through me to get where you want to be."

Tails smirked. "That's the idea." At this, he charged Elias, who spun his lightsaber and held it at the ready.

* * *

 _ **With Seth, Ashley, and the clones…**_

"Fuck!" Ashley snarled as the door refused to open again. "This door is really starting to annoy me!"

"Told you technology can't get you everywhere." Seth said to his best friend's former girlfriend.

"Can you please try and be more of a confidence booster instead of a complete asshole?" Ashley said. "Because I'm finding what Roman told me about you to be grossly untrue at this point in time!"

"That's because Rome was telling you about my finer features." Seth said. "Not the negatives, one which happens to be that I'm a realist."

Stepping away, Ashley gestured. "Okay then, do it yourself."

"Gladly." Seth said as he ignited his lightsabers, plunging them into the door.

"Not exactly subtle, is it?" Ashley said.

"Sometimes Ashley, subtlety doesn't get you anywhere." Seth said as he cut through the door, using the Force to blow a hole into the door, crushing a couple of Stormtroopers that just so happened to be running past. "Oops." Seth muttered upon seeing it. Stepping through, Seth waited for Shatter, Tusk and Ashley to get out before saying: "From what I saw, Tails ran this way." At this, he pointed to their left. "From the schematics, that is the route to the hangar. And knowing Tails, that's where he'd head."

"Then that's where we're going as well." Ashley said, storming past Seth and in the direction of the hangar.

"Got to say she has a point." Seth said. Turning to Shatter and Tusk, Seth shouted: "You heard the lady! Let's move!"

* * *

 _ **With Sally and her team…**_

With a triumphant fist pump, Sally finished priming the tenth and final bomb before scooting over to Sonic and Cream, saying: "Bombs are planted guys! We need to go!"

"About time!" Sonic said. "We were just about to-" He never finished his sentence, as suddenly, a blaster bolt smashed into his shoulder, knocking him over.

"Sonic!" Sally called out as she drew her own blaster, shooting several Stormtroopers in her line of sight before ducking behind cover to tend to Sonic.

Cream, who had also trained as a medic, was already tending to Sonic, binding the cerulean speedster's shoulder wound with practiced ease. "No need to worry." She said. "The blaster bolt passed cleanly through you."

"That's encouraging." Sonic remarked as Sally came to him.

"What were you about to say, Sonic?" Sally asked.

"It's not worth saying now." Sonic replied to his wife.

Sally smiled and took Sonic's hand in hers, feeling the ring Sonic had underneath the black glove he was wearing. "You've never taken this off, have you?" Sally asked her husband.

"Nope, and I never will." Sonic said, smiling.

Sally nodded and lowered her head, saying: "I've never taken mine off either." before leaning in to kiss Sonic when she was interrupted.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to go!" Cream said, drawing her blaster and shooting the Stormtroopers headed their way.

Sally nodded and helped Sonic up. Once everyone was ready, they sprinted off towards the hangar, prepared to finish this mission.

* * *

 _ **With Tails and Elias…**_

Tails spun out of the blade-lock he and Elias had just been engaged in and slashed at Elias' flank with his shoto, with intent to wound the Grand Inquisitor.

Elias jumped back to avoid the blow and lunged at Tails, who parried the blow, jumped up, and drop-kicked Elias into the wall.

Once he had done this, Tails stabbed at Elias, hoping to pin Elias to the wall with his lightsaber and deal a fatal blow.

Spinning away from the attack, Elias turned, slapped down Tails' guard and spun his lightsaber in an arc aimed at Tails' neck, hoping to behead the twin-tailed vulpine.

Tails reacted rapidly, bringing up his shoto to block the attack, spinning around and attempted the same with his own lightsaber.

Elias ducked the attack, but as he ducked, he was met with a firm knee to the jaw, knocking the Grand Inquisitor off balance. Bringing his lightsaber forward, he was met with a barrage of attacks from Tails.

Tails first feinted at Elias' face with his lightsaber, only to reveal his feint, and then stab at Elias' belly with his shoto. When these were blocked, Tails cartwheeled to another angle and slashed at Elias' waist, which was also blocked. Tails, as his attempt to cut Elias in two failed, stabbed at Elias' throat, with the plan of catching his chin and spearing Roman's killer through the throat.

Elias moved his head to the side to dodge the blow, and then kicked at Tails' knee, unbalancing the kitsune Jedi and causing Tails to stagger away. Stepping forward, Elias spun his lightsaber and slashed at Tails' flank, spinning away when that was blocked and stabbing at Tails.

Tails responded by parrying the stab and slashed at Elias, catching Elias on the hip.

Elias grunted in pain and pushed Tails back with a Force Push, checking his wound. Luckily, it hadn't cut too deeply. Looking up at Tails, who was just getting to his feet, Elias nodded. "You've impressed me thus far, Miles. I'll give you that. Maybe the Female Inquisitor was right when she told me you were more than just a boy."

Tails responded by adopting a fighting stance, frowning as he did. "Don't you ever listen? My name is Tails!"

"Tails is nothing but a nickname!" Elias snapped. "Given to you by a friend in order to help you appreciate something that should not have been there in the first place, and to stop you thinking of yourself as nothing but a freak!"

Tails' eyes widened. "You did _not_ just say that." He said, his temper rising.

"Oh, I did, Tails. Because that's _exactly_ what you are. You're a freak, a mutant! Nothing short of an abomination. No wonder why your parents abandoned you." Elias taunted.

That tore things. With a feral growl, Tails charged Elias, leaping into the air and launching a massive spinning slash at the Grand Inquisitor.

Elias blocked most of the blows, and leaped back to avoid the final few, closing with Tails again with a slash to Tails' legs.

Tails leaped over Elias to avoid this, turning around at the same time as Elias, and locking their blades as they met. Pushing his way out of the blade lock, Tails didn't hesitate to renew his attack, utilising all the moves he had learned from Seth to great effect as the duel between him and Elias continued all over the corridor.

Growing tired, Elias blocked an attack by Tails and pushed the twin-tailed vulpine's blades aside, lashing out with a Force-augmented kick that knocked Tails into the wall. Unfortunately, this wall contained the controls that opened the door, and the aforementioned door opened, revealing a new avenue to the fight.

Tails noticed this and sprinted through, Elias close behind as they entered the hangar, continuing their already heated duel. Tails parried a slash from Elias with his shoto and attempted one of his own with his own lightsaber.

Elias ducked this, and allowed Tails' lightsaber blade to meet his own, surprising the kit by switching his own lightsaber off, throwing the kit off balance enough for him to kick Tails' shoto out of his hand, and kick the kitsune down, raising his lightsaber to deal the killing blow.

Tails blocked the attempt by Elias at a death-blow, and reached out with his left hand, attempting to call his shoto back to his hand.

Elias saw this and stomped on Tails' left arm, smiling as he heard Tails' cry of pain before breaking the blade lock, calling Tails' shoto to his own hand and facing Tails, who was getting to his feet. When he was sure Tails was watching, Elias slashed down at the hilt of the shoto, cutting it clean in two and throwing the remains down at Tails' feet. "Now the fight is even." Elias snarled.

Tails looked down at his now destroyed shoto before raising his lightsaber and holding it at the ready. "It changes nothing. I'm just as good with one lightsaber as I am with two." Tails said.

"Is that true?" Elias asked sarcastically. "Then come here and prove it!"

"Gladly." Tails replied darkly as he charged Elias again, the sound of their blades meeting echoing around the hangar.

* * *

 _ **With Sally, Sonic and Cream…**_

Rounding the corner, Sally turned and snapped off several shots from her blaster pistol, cutting down several pursuing Stormtroopers and an Imperial Officer.

Sonic and Cream soon joined her, the latter drawing her own blaster pistol, a DC-17 blaster pistol Shatter had given her and trained her in using. "How much farther until we hit the hangar?" Cream called out.

"Not too much longer!" Sally replied as she downed a few more. She and her team were still being pursued by the same Stormtroopers that had besieged them when Sally had been planting the explosives. Sally only prayed that the Stormtroopers had left the bombs alone. Then again, Rotor had ensured they could not be tampered with as he had placed a failsafe into the bombs that ensured that if they were tampered with in any manner, the bombs would explode regardless. Sally took comfort in that fact.

Cream, who had taken cover in the alcove opposite Sally, quickly shot two Stormtroopers who had taken up positions on the other side. She shook her head to clear it as she did. Every time she saw a Stormtrooper, she was taken back to two years ago, when one Stormtrooper had fired the three fatal shots that had taken Vanilla, Cream's mother, from her. While Roman had killed the trooper responsible, they all looked the same to her. It was just a different person underneath.

After a few minutes of back and forth shooting, Sally realised it was dragging on for too long, and took a thermal detonator, priming and throwing it with instantaneous results, as the resultant explosion led to many Stormtroopers crying out as they died. Turning to her companions, Sally shouted: "Come on!" At this, she turned and sprinted for the hangar bay entrance, quickly stepping on one of the gangways over the hangar, as did Sonic and Cream, the latter of who pressed the necessary buttons to close and seal the blast doors behind them.

"So what now, Sal?" Sonic asked his wife.

Sally looked about their environment, replying: "We need to find a way down from here. Anything will do."

Cream nodded, and made to do so, but her superior hearing drew her attention to something going on below them. "Uh, Princess, I think we're going to need to hurry with that."

Sally turned to Cream. "Why do we need to-" She paused when she noticed Cream was looking down at something, and then her hearing picked up the sounds of what sounded like a heated lightsaber duel. Running to where Cream was standing, Sally looked down at what Cream was looking at, and her face fell. "Oh no…"

Dozens of feet below them were Tails and Elias, the two engaged in a very dangerous dance, cutting, slashing, stabbing, ducking, dodging, blocking, and parrying with their lightsabers. It didn't take long for Sally to notice the absence of Tails' shoto, his shorter bladed lightsaber.

Sally turned to Cream and said one thing: "We need to get down there. _Now."_

* * *

 _ **With Tails and Elias…**_

Elias blocked one slash from Tails and parried another, using the momentum gathered from said parry to land a stinging left hook to Tails' jaw, loosening a few teeth for certain, and forcing Tails onto the defensive. Closing quickly, Elias slashed at Tails' left, and when that was parried, whirled around with lightning speed, spinning his lightsaber and slashing wildly at Tails' throat, hoping to cut Tails there and score a quick kill.

Tails rolled under the slash and responded quickly, countering with a feint at Elias' left flank, and when that was parried, spun away and slashed at Elias' torso, hoping to kill the Grand Inquisitor that way by cutting through Elias' lungs and heart with one stroke.

Elias parried the blow with ease, countering with another punch that connected painfully underneath Tails' right eye, knocking Tails off his feet and causing the twin-tailed Jedi to drop his lightsaber.

Tails got back to his feet, quickly recalling his lightsaber to his hand, igniting it.

"I hate to say this, Miles, but I've been grossly disappointed ever since you attacked me." Elias said. "Your statement about being equally as good with one lightsaber as you are with two has proven to be massively innacurate."

"Need I remind you, for the last time, my name is _Tails!"_ Tails snapped. "There are only several people I allow to call me by that name, and none of them are here right now."

"Well that's too bad, because until you either kill me or render me unable to speak, I will _keep_ calling you by that name." Elias replied as he closed in, spinning his lightsaber and slashing downwards at Tails, hoping to slash Tails from shoulder to hip.

Tails brought his blade up to block the blow, taking his left hand off of his lightsaber and jamming it hard into Elias' gut, doubling the Grand Inquisitor over. Using the distraction to break the blade lock by spinning out of it, Tails raised his lightsaber high above his head, and slashed down, intending to behead Elias as an executioner would.

Elias rolled away from Tails to avoid the attack, getting to his feet just in time to see Tails leap onto a piece of machinery, run across it, and leap off at Elias, stabbing his lightsaber forward in an effort to spear Elias from the air. Backing up a bit, Elias managed to parry the blow as Tails came to land.

Tails refused to give though, using the momentum from that attack to carry him into a comfortable forward roll, bringing his blade up to meet Elias' counterattack, a vicious series of crosscuts, stabs, slashes and the sort, thanking the Goddess he had asked Seth to teach him the Soresu lightsaber form, something Roman had promised to do, but died before he could follow up on that promise.

Elias, realising this, broke away from Tails, and decided now was as good a time as any to finish the fight. Spinning his lightsaber again, Elias whirled around like a dervish, slashing at Tails in a manner that could be countered, and needed to be countered for Elias' plan to work.

Tails parried, and countered by slashing at Elias' head, hoping to slice it in two like fruit.

Elias ducked the blow, stepped inside Tails' guard as soon as Tails' lightsaber had passed over his head, seized hold of Tails' wrist, and smashed the pommel of his lightsaber over Tails' head. Quickly after this, he found himself being pushed away by the twin-tailed fox, who tried to counter by crosscutting for Elias' throat. Elias simply parried, and kicked Tails' lightsaber from his hand, and then slashing down at Tails, cutting a deep wound in the vulpine's right shoulder.

Tails shouted in pain at this and sank to his knees, finding Elias' blade at his throat soon after.

"Game over Miles." Elias said, removing his mask.

Tails scoffed. "I'm not going to even bother convincing you to call me Tails again, you stubborn asshole."

Elias smirked, and raised his lightsaber, prepared to behead the boy that had eluded him for so long. "Say hello to Roman and my father for me when you see them, would you?"

"Fuck you." Tails snapped.

"Poor choice of last words." Elias said as he made to hew Tails' neck.

But before his blade could meet Tails' flesh, two blaster bolts cascaded past Elias, coupled with a shout of:

" _ **ELIAS!"**_

Elias lowered his lightsaber and stared at the newcomer, smirking.

Standing a few metres away from him and Tails, flanked by Sonic, and a young rabbit he neither recalled the sight of nor cared about, and holding a lightsaber in her hands, was Sally.

* * *

"Little sister!" Elias called out, stepping past Tails so that the vulpine was behind him. "It's been too long! You don't call. You don't write. Come on, Sally; where's the love?"

"The love I once held for you as my brother is gone, gone the moment you plunged your lightsaber into our father's chest." Sally replied harshly, raising Roman's lightsaber.

Elias' eyes narrowed. "You're still angry about that? Come on Sally. Father was old. It was merely a matter of hurrying him along."

"A fate he'd have gladly accepted at the hands of someone like Eggman; not by his own son." Sally retorted. Shaking her head, Sally asked: "What happened, Elias? Where did we all go so wrong as to make you turn on your own family and friends?"

"A question you shall carry to your grave." Elias snarled in reply. He was now close enough that he could see the lightsaber in Sally's hand. He recognised it, remembering that he saw it last in Roman's hands. "How quaint. You're using Roman's lightsaber." His eyes narrowed again as he pointed his lightsaber at Sally. "The lightsaber that should have been mine."

Sally remained unintimidated as she replied defiantly: "Come get it!"

"Gladly." Elias replied as he charged his sister.

Sally was poised and ready, intercepting Elias' first attack, and parrying it, countering with a slash at his throat, which was dodged. Not missing a beat, Sally spun again, surprising Elias by instead of slashing with the lightsaber, but by lashing out with a spin kick, that knocked Elias off balance. Closing quickly, she launched her own attack, slashing and stabbing at Elias in a vicious manner, remembering the swordplay lessons Antoine had started her on and her father and finished with her when she was younger.

Elias parried, blocked, dodged, or ducked all of her attacks, finally managing to counter when she slashed as his left flank, attempting the same manoeuvre he had employed to deal a fatal blow to the Jedi Master Cain Roth two years earlier.

Sally, having wised up to that attack, spun away and slashed at Elias, slashing him as hard as she could across his right shoulder blade.

Elias grunted in pain at the blow, turning to face Sally again. Then, Elias allowed the pain to fuel his rage and anger, enmeshing himself in the Dark Side as he launched his counterassault, battering at Sally until he finally managed to knock Roman's lightsaber out of her hand, kicking her down as he did. "An A for effort, Sally." He said. "But you're no Jedi."

Sally remained defiant as she noticed someone behind Elias, replying: "You're right. I'm not a Jedi. But I can see someone who _is."_

Elias turned, and was thrown back with a Force-Push. Upon getting to his feet, Elias saw a familiar face. "Not you again."

"Round three, motherfucker!" Seth replied as he attacked Elias with a vicious jab at Elias' belly before slashing at Elias' head with his other lightsaber.

Elias blocked the stab and parried the slash, countering with a slash of his own at Seth's abdomen. When this was parried, Elias backed away, opting for a probing attack on Seth, using standard Makashi jabs and thrusts, testing Seth's defensive capabilities.

Seth parried all of Elias' attacks with practiced ease, finally countering with a devastating spinning kick to Elias' face. Stepping closer, Seth said: "You ever read about who trained me, Elias?"

"I'm aware." Elias said, regaining his equilibrium. "The legendary Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi himself. The undisputed master of Form Three lightsaber combat."

"Exactly." Seth replied.

Elias nodded before leaping up and charging Seth, launching an all-out assault by tapping into his knowledge of Juyo, the seventh and most aggressive form of lightsaber combat. This bore fruit, as with one stroke, he managed to slash Seth across the Jedi's right flank, although the wounds wasn't deep.

Seth grimaced with the wound, but said nothing, instead attacking Elias utilising his expertise with Ataru, a more aggressive and acrobatic form of lightsaber combat, battering against Elias' defences before finally scoring a hit of his own, cutting a semi-deep wound into Elias' leg, just above the knee.

Elias shouted in pain and staggered back, lashing out with one last downward slash at Seth.

Seth parried the slash with his left hand lightsaber, and drove his right hand lightsaber up to the hilt in Elias' abdomen.

Elias' face became a grimace at the blow, sinking to his knees and into a seated position, propped up against a nearby piece of machinery.

Seth stepped closer and made to deliver a coup de grace, but the sound of a ship's engines drew his attention, as the Empire's Bane landed in the hangar.

Running over and grabbing Roman's lightsaber, Sally said: "We need to go!"

Seth looked to Elias and spat before running towards the Empire's Bane, just as Stormtroopers ran towards Elias.

"Grand Inquisitor! Are you alright?" Inquired one of the Stormtroopers.

"I'll live, trooper." Elias replied as one of them helped him up. "Is my shuttle prepared?"

"It is, sir. We refuelled it while you were hunting for the Jedi. It's waiting for you over there." The Stormtrooper said, gesturing to where Elias' shuttle was standing.

Elias looked at it, and then at the Empire's Bane, now lifting off and flying away. Nodding, Elias said: "Come with me. I suspect they'll have planted explosives somewhere."

"Yes sir." The Stormtrooper said as he gestured with his men to follow the limping Grand Inquisitor.

* * *

 _ **On the Empire's Bane…**_

Tails felt the ship turn as he turned to Ahsoka, asking: "What the heck are you doing? We're supposed to be getting out of here."

The pregnant Togruta Jedi turned to Tails and smirked. "We have a rule here on the Empire's Bane: Never leave before the explosions start." Looking to Sally, Ahsoka said: "Sally, would you do the honours?"

Sally got out of her seat and produced the detonator. "Gladly." She replied, as she pressed the detonation button, watching as Avalon Imperial Military Base went up in a mighty conflagration, pieces of debris flying everywhere but into the sky. Sally smiled at this, looking to Ahsoka, the two girls sharing a nod. A major blow had now surely been struck against Eggman, and the Imperial occupants of Mobius.

* * *

 **Now, how was that? I always intended to have Elias meet Tails and Sally in combat during this chapter, and I only hope I pulled it off well.**

 **So, if you liked this chapter, please leave your reviews, and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	7. Chapter 7: Roman's Mission

**Chapter 7: Roman's Mission**

 _ **Outside Efrika Military Base, at about the same time…**_

Roman lowered his binoculars as he stared at Efrika Military Base from his vantage point on a large cliff face. The base was basically set in the ruins of an ancient temple, which had been suspected to be one of the seven Gaia Temples during the Shattered World Crisis five years prior. Roman sighed as he remembered those days. He quickly shook his head to clear it, realising he was starting to think he was getting old. He was only twenty!

Placing his binoculars into the small backpack he had on his back, Roman jumped down from the ledge he was standing on, beginning to run down the cliff face. Two years of physical rehabilitation after Blaze and Silver had found and nursed him back to health had gifted Roman with the skills he had obtained and learned throughout his life before his brush with Death at the hands of Elias, alongside a few new ones. One such new skill was at free-running, or as Seth had called it once, parkour. Roman could now navigate areas like the one he was in currently with practiced ease. Almost as easily as he could have rappelled down the cliff-face. But Silver and Blaze neither had the equipment nor the means to successfully rappel down a cliff-face. So Roman had taught himself the means of free-running in order to avoid having to take long periods of time climbing down.

He quickly found himself hitting ground level, leaping off one last ledge and landing with a perfect forward roll. Getting to his feet, Roman looked up at the imposing structure that was the base, looking over all the defences there were. Pulling up the hood on his head and pulling a balaclava over his mouth and nose, Roman jogged over to a potential vantage point, noting the ridge provided him with a perfect view over the main entrance to the base. He could see other means of entering the base, but all took too long to access. And Roman didn't exactly have any time to spare. He suddenly recalled reconnoitring the base at an earlier date during one of his first excursions a few months before, and remembered the vehicle depot, where many of the ground vehicles were kept, such as speeder bikes and the like. Smirking at this recollection, Roman jumped down from the ridge and headed towards it, reaching said place in about two and a half minutes. Taking cover behind a boulder, Roman unslung his sniper rifle, training it on the entrance to the vehicular depot. With this, he managed to spot a selection of Imperial Stormtroopers walking about, obviously on patrol. Counting about three squads of Stormtroopers patrolling the entire depot, Roman aimed his rifle at the commanding officer of the nearest patrol, a sergeant, and fired. The Sergeant's head quickly burst apart, showering the Stormtroopers surrounding him with crimson.

Roman put his sniper away and leaped out of cover, drawing his blaster rifle as he did. This was going to get bloody.

* * *

 _ **Half an hour later, Vehicle Depot, 23:15 pm**_

The final Stormtrooper fell to his knees, body plugged full of blaster bolt holes, before one last blaster bolt went through his head, and the trooper sank to the floor, dead.

Roman lowered his blaster rifle and looked about for any incoming threats. As he ascertained that none where headed his way, Roman jogged over to the first cluster of bodies, searching them for spare power cells for his blaster rifle. Finding several, he stuffed them in his pack before moving on to the other bodies, doing the same until he had no more bodies to search. Getting up, he quickly searched for any vehicles he could use to escape when his mission was complete. His eyes fell upon an Imperial Speeder Bike, which he knew was usually used by Imperial Scout Troopers. He made to head further into the base when a blaster bolt cascaded past his head, forcing him behind cover. Looking above cover, he spotted a platoon of Stormtroopers taking positions. Rolling his eyes, Roman took a flash grenade from his belt, primed it, and tossed it up and over towards the ranks of the platoon. Quickly, he heard a loud explosion, and the cries of stunned Stormtroopers. Grinning, he leaped out of cover and charged the Stormtroopers, downing two Stormtroopers within seconds of his charge, holstering his rifle and drawing his combat knife and his blaster pistol, which was a DL-18 Blaster Pistol that he'd bought because it reminded him of his girlfriend, Ashley. Snapping back to reality, Roman saw a Stormtrooper leap out of cover, having recovered from the flashbang. Roman raised his blaster, snapping several shots off into the Stormtrooper, and throwing his knife into the throat of another Stormtrooper who had jumped out of cover. Vaulting over the barricade, Roman shot three other Stormtroopers that came to attack him, and, ripping his knife from the throat of the trooper he had thrown it into, he opened the throat of another trooper, who had popped out of nowhere, and Roman found himself covered in blood. Getting to his feet and sheathing his knife and pistol, Roman drew his blaster rifle, gunning down several more of the troopers before finally taking cover again.

It was a few more minutes before the final member of the platoon fell, first to one knee after Roman shot it, and then falling dead with a shot through the skull.

Getting to his feet, Roman put away his blaster rifle and again searched the bodies of the fallen troopers. As he did, his mind wandered to thoughts of Ashley. In an instant, his heart began to ache with every heartbeat, and he fought for tears not to escape his eyes. He had made it no secret to Silver and Blaze how much he missed Ashley. And whenever they had told him he could not reveal himself, it had felt like they had thrust a white hot knife into his heart, and twisted it to an extent. He tried to picture Ashley in his mind, remembering her perfect facial structure, her bright blue eyes bearing right through him, and most of all, the smile she reserved almost exclusively for him. Storing the image into his mind for later reference, he finished scavenging blaster power cells, jammed a fresh cell into his rifle, and continued on into the base, prepared for whatever bloody work awaited him.

* * *

 _ **Onboard the Imperial Shuttle stolen by Silver…**_

"I sure hope Roman's doing okay at the moment." Blaze said as she entered the cockpit, where Silver was sitting.

"C'mon, Blaze, you and I both know he'll be fine." Silver said encouragingly. "This isn't his first time doing this, remember?"

"True, but it doesn't stop me from worrying." Blaze replied. "This is Roman's biggest mission yet. If things don't go to plan-"

"We'll be there to pull Roman out." Silver interrupted. Placing his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, and said: "You need to have more faith in Roman, Blaze. You need to have faith that he'll be fine, and that he'll get the job done."

Blaze nodded, a smile forming as she sat down in the other pilot seat, taking Silver's hands in her own. "Sometimes I wonder just where I'd be without you here."

Silver shrugged. "Probably something along the lines of being the same stuck up princess you were before we met."

"Wha- I was _not_ stuck up!" Blaze protested.

"Seemed that way to me." Silver replied.

Blaze rolled her eyes as she replied: "Whatever you say."

"Hey, be thankful Roman wasn't here." Silver added. "He'd likely embarrass both of us by asking something like:" Then, in an almost perfect impression of Roman: "So what, you two gonna engage in make-up sex now? By the Force, you're both worse than my friends back when the Jedi were still around."

Blaze laughed as she got out of her seat, and sat on Silver's lap, purring softly as she nestled her head in his shoulder. "Your impressions of Roman still crack me up, even after hearing them numerous times."

"Maybe it's because I don't do the same one every time." Silver replied as he scratched Blaze gently behind the ears.

Blaze smiled as her boyfriend continued his treatment, content to just hold onto him and never let him go. She only prayed Roman was doing alright as well.

* * *

 _ **With Roman…**_

The Imperial officer sailed back into the wall, his head gone as a result of Roman shooting him there as the firefight began.

Roman took advantage of the temporary confusion emanating from the Stormtroopers surrounding the now headless Imperial Officer to jump behind cover, shooting several Stormtroopers as he did.

The Stormtroopers quickly rallied, training kicking in as quickly as it could as they began firing on Roman's position, keeping up a steady stream of fire as they slowly began to move in.

Roman swore under his breath. This hadn't been what he had in mind. These Stormtroopers clearly remembered their training, and he silently kicked himself for not taking further advantage of their confusion. Waiting for them to finish shooting, he took a thermal detonator from his belt and primed it, waiting patiently. After a few moments, the shooting stopped, and Roman tossed the explosive salvo, hearing a few raised voices let out startled cries as the thermal detonator exploded. Roman grimly smiled as he heard those same voices scream as they either fell down wounded, or dropped down dead.

Rolling out of cover, Roman fired several shots, all of them hitting their targets and leaving one last Stormtrooper alive, who tried to escape. Roman was quicker though, throwing down his rifle, tearing his knife from his belt, and throwing it with brutal precision at the trooper, the blade sinking deep into the troopers' throat.

The dead Stormtrooper sank to the floor, joining his dead comrades in oblivion.

Roman picked his rifle back up and walked towards the dead trooper, making sure to execute any other Stormtrooper that was still alive. Reaching the dead Stormtrooper with Roman's knife in his throat, Roman pulled the knife free, wiping the blade clean on his sleeve and then sheathing it. Rising to his feet, Roman looked about for any sign he was nearing the main reactor. Making an educated guess, he made to continue in the direction he was headed in, when he heard a voice he hadn't heard in two years say:

" _Use the Force, lad."_

Startled, Roman looked about the area bewilderedly. "Roth?" He called out, invoking the name of his long dead Jedi Master.

" _Lad, use the Force."_ Roth's voice said before again fading.

Roman sighed before closing his eyes and reaching out with the Force. It was as if the Force had never left him, flowing through him like a river. It quickly directed him to where he needed to go, pointing him in the right direction.

Opening his eyes, Roman raised his rifle, and continued on his mission, his confidence renewed.

* * *

 _ **Back at the shuttle Silver stole, Efrika Plains…**_

The bleeping of a small alarm drew Blaze's attention, as she broke the heated kiss she and Silver were previously engaged in to look at what it was. When she saw what it was, her face fell. "Oh no…"

"What's up, Blaze?" Silver asked as he straightened his shirt, which had been half off at the time the alarm started sounding.

"We've got company inbound." Blaze said, zipping up her dress. "From what the display shows, we have ten minutes at most to get ready to stop them."

"What do you have in mind?" Silver asked, getting out of the chair.

"Simple ambush." Blaze answered. "We still have a few charges, right?"

"Right." Silver said.

"Then we set them a few metres away from the shuttle. We head back a few metres, and wait for them to arrive. Once they do, we blow the charges. If that doesn't take all of them out, we take them out ourselves." Blaze said.

"Sounds good to me." Silver said, heading into the hold and grabbing said charges, along with two rifles, one a sniper for Blaze, the other a blaster rifle for Silver. Together, the couple headed down the ramp, and out onto the plains of Efrika, prepared for anything.

* * *

 _ **A few minutes later…**_

"There. Done." Blaze declared as she finished setting the last charge.

"Awesome. Now let's hang back and wait." Silver said as he moved away, back towards the shuttle.

"No, wait." Blaze said. "I spotted some boulders close by. They look like viable cover for us."

"Okay. That's a better idea." Silver digressed as he moved towards Blaze, who moved towards the boulders.

They were behind the boulders after a minute and a half, just as an entire platoon of Imperial Sandtroopers came into view.

"What are we doing out here, again, Sergeant?" Asked one of the Sandtroopers.

"Quiet, Tee-Kay-Four-Two-Five!" The Sergeant demanded. "We were sent here because Command picked up a strange energy reading out here. We're the investigation team." As the Sergeant said this, they drew within the perfect proximity of Silver and Blaze's charges.

"Bingo." Blaze said as she pressed the detonator, watching as the charges went up, taking a good many of the platoon with it, and wounding several. These, Blaze picked off with her sniper, until all was still. Turning to Silver, Blaze said: "Threat neutralised. For now, let's get back to the shuttle. I'd hate to not finish what we started in there."

Silver smirked, picked up Blaze bridal style, and carried the giggling cat towards the shuttle. They did have something that needed finishing.

* * *

 _ **With Roman, Efrika Military Base Control Room, sometime later…**_

The door burst open as Roman crashed into the room, grabbing the nearest Stormtrooper to him and using the white-clad soldier as a shield, returning fire as the blaster bolts from his enemies thudded into the corpse of the Stormtrooper he was using. Letting the useless body fall to the floor after a few seconds, Roman picked up the trooper's rifle as he jumped behind cover, tossing a flashbang into the enemy's midst. Hearing the sounds that came with such a weapon's detonation, Roman leaped out from cover, dual wielding E-11 Blaster Rifles like he remembered numerous Clone Commanders or Captains, such as his Clone Captain Shatter doing, but with blaster pistols instead of the blaster rifles Roman was currently using. He had long since decided not to blow the main reactor, instead choosing to destroy the base via self-destruct, remembering the old failsafe from previous reconnaissance missions he had done alongside the Freedom Fighters.

By this time, most of the Stormtroopers in the room were dead, and only a handful remained. These soon fell to Roman's weapons.

Roman turned to see all of the Imperial Officers, all of them standing defiantly. Adjusting his hood, Roman demanded: "Which one of you is the commanding officer of this base?"

One officer came forward, a tan uniformed man in about his middle forties, replying: "I am. But no matter what you do to me, we will not submit to rebellious scum like you."

Roman responded by raising one of his rifles and shooting the base commander directly in the kneecap, destroying the joint altogether and rendering the limb useless.

The Base Commander crumpled, screaming in agony at his wound.

Dropping one of his rifles, Roman walked over to the base commander and dragged him towards the main console of the control room, smashing the commander's face into the console. "Now, log in!"

The commander reluctantly obliged, typing in his access codes to the computer, which soon booted up.

Roman pushed him to the floor, planting his foot on the base commander's injured leg to ensure escape was impossible as he typed 'activate self-destruct sequence' into the computer.

This resulted in the words filling up the screen, with a space and line underneath them, with some more words underneath that saying: _**PASSCODE REQUIRED.**_

Sighing, Roman turned to the commander and dragged him back to his feet, placing him back near the console. "Put in the passcode." He said, putting enough authority behind it to let the commander know that no was not going to be taken for an answer.

The Commander spat in Roman's face, saying: "Go to hell, you-"

Roman punched the commander hard in the face before he could finish, snarling: _"Do it!"_

Still glaring at the hooded vulpine, and wiping his bloody nose, the commander made to obey, and would have entered the code in, had a blaster bolt not entered the back of his head at that moment, spattering his brains all over the console.

Roman whirled round and dodged the next shot, which emanated from the E-11 he had dropped earlier, which was now in the hands of a junior Imperial officer in about his late twenties.

The junior officer fired several more shots, screaming expletives as he did.

Roman rolled under them, shooting the junior officer first in the knee, and then in the head. For good measure, he next shot the E-11 the junior officer had been using, ensuring no-one else could try anything. Looking at the remaining officers, who were huddled together and staring at the dead junior officer, and asked: "Who else knows the codes that activate the self-destruct?"

Hesitantly, another junior officer in his early twenties stepped out, amidst angry glares from his peers. "I do. I was assigned to enter them if the commander was otherwise incapacitated."

Roman nodded, and pointed towards the console, aiming his blaster at the officer. "Do it."

The junior officer nodded, walking towards the console and typing in the necessary code, finally looking up to Roman and saying: "Shall I start the sequence?"

Roman shook his head. "No. I'll handle that. As for you, get the hell out of here."

The junior officer's eyes widened. "You're letting me go?"

Roman nodded. "Unlike your buddies, you've still got much of your life ahead of you. Go out there and live it, rather than die here."

The junior officer nodded and ran out of the room, headed somewhere.

Roman turned to the others and pointed at one of them, saying: "You can leave too. But don't stray too far from the base."

"Why not?" The officer asked, another junior officer in his early thirties.

"I need someone to deliver a message to the Grand Inquisitor when he arrives here." Roman replied. "The rest can stay here and die."

The officer nodded nervously, asking: "What's the message?"

Roman responded by tossing the officer a holo. "It's contained in that. Give it to him when he arrives. What he does next is on you."

The junior officer nodded and left.

Roman turned to the other officers and shrugged. "Unlucky, dudes." At this, he pressed the activation button, and the countdown started. Looking at the countdown, he saw he had twenty-nine minutes and fifty-five seconds and counting. Turning to the door, he simply walked out of it, making his way back to the hangar, and sealing the control room door behind him. He heard the sounds of alarms sounding, declaring that the self-destruct had been activated. Nodding approvingly, Roman began sprinting. He had a schedule to keep to.

* * *

 _ **Minutes later…**_

Roman stepped off of the speeder bike as it came to a stop, turning around to watch as the base exploded, sending all sorts of debris everywhere. The conflagration took a while to subside, doing so with the sluggishness of a rancor.

Roman lingered where he was for a matter of minutes, watching the explosions as he remembered a rule he, Seth, Ahsoka, Roth, Anakin and Obi Wan all agreed on during a mission at the height of the Clone Wars: Never leave before the explosions started. Roman smiled at the memory, storing it in his mind for later reference as he got back onto the speeder bike and headed back to the shuttle.

* * *

 _ **At the shuttle…**_

Jogging up the ramp, the first thing Roman heard was noises, emanating from the main hold. They were faint, undiscernible from where he was. Deciding to take a closer look, he stepped further into the shuttle, opened the door to the main hold, and recoiled at what he saw. _**"WHOA!"**_

The entire main hold reeked of coitus, and lying on one of the benches lining the room were Blaze and Silver, both stark naked, with Blaze looking as if she had been riding Silver like a rabid dog. Both quickly noticed Roman's presence, and blushed accordingly.

"Now I know why my calls didn't go through." Roman said, still averting his gaze.

"By the Sol Emeralds, Roman; _you could have knocked!"_ Blaze complained as she struggled to find something to cover herself up with, mainly as her nude body was completely on show to Roman.

Roman, still looking away, replied: "Not my fault. How was I supposed to know what was going on?"

Blaze groaned as she finally found her dress, covering herself with it. "Still doesn't change the problem."

Roman turned his back completely on them, saying: "You know what, keep doing what you're doing. I'll get us in the air and out of here." At this, he left the room, closing the door behind him and heading for the cockpit, where he began the pre-flight checks. As he did, he thought back to what he saw, smiling as he thought: _Silver's one lucky bastard. Blaze lives up to her name alright. She is hot!_ He quickly shook his thoughts from mind, remembering Ashley. He finished the pre-flight checks and began taking off, finally flying away into the night. One more target down.

* * *

 **Another one down for Roman. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and relax; this isn't the last you'll see of that young junior officer that entered the self-destruct codes. He will play a major role in upcoming chapters.**

 **Moving on, please leave your reviews, and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	8. Chapter 8: Do You Believe In Ghosts?

**Chapter 8: Do You Believe In Ghosts?**

 _ **Remains of Efrika Imperial Military Base, 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **July 3241, 3:30 am**_

Elias strode out from the bowels of the shuttle, the Female Inquisitor at his side as he gazed out at the ruins of what had been one of their most secure bases. Seeing Colonel Aryn, he walked over to her and asked: "What happened?"

"According to one of the survivors we recovered, a lone person attacked the base." Aryn answered, turning to face her lover completely. "He killed the majority of the force we kept here, and set the base to self-destruct. Whether this person survived is unknown."

"In my experience, he likely has." Elias said. "No-one would be stupid enough to attack an Imperial Base such as here and not have some means of escape."

"If he did, he likely used one of our own vehicles." The Female Inquisitor said. "Were I this person, I would head here on foot, leaving a means of transport behind for escape purposes, head here, destroy the base, while taking one of the vehicles here as a means of getting to our escape vehicle quickly. Likely a speeder bike."

"Your colleague has a point here, E- I mean, Grand Inquisitor." Aryn said.

The Female Inquisitor raised an eyebrow at this, seeing a familiar pattern between Aryn and her superior.

Elias nodded and asked: "Where are the survivors?"

"Near where the main entrance would be." Aryn replied. "The same survivor that told us of the person who blew this entire place sky-high also says we have a deserter."

Elias folded his arms. "Who?"

"Lieutenant Jax Aryn, sir." Aryn said, grimacing at the name.

Elias raised an eyebrow, looking to Aryn, asking: "Aryn? Is he a relation by any chance?"

Colonel Aryn nodded. "He's my cousin. From what our informant says, he was assistant to the commander of the base. He was the only one besides the commander who possessed the codes for the self-destruct. Our survivor said he was forced to enter the codes after the commander was killed by another officer, who was killed soon after. The Intruder told him to leave, saying he had his entire life ahead of him, saying he should live it, instead of dying here." Aryn suddenly heard something on her communicator, and whilst listening to Elias, she answered the comm.

"Rather noble." Elias remarked. "But nonetheless, your cousin is still a deserter." Turning to the Female Inquisitor, Elias said: "Call Frederick and try to-"

"Hold on, Grand Inquisitor." Aryn interrupted. "I just got word that the lieutenant has just reported in. He's currently being held at the entrance."

Elias nodded, turned to the Female Inquisitor and nodded, saying: "See what you can find. Me and the Colonel will head over to our survivors, to see what we can glean from them."

The Female Inquisitor nodded assent, headed towards the ruins, while Elias and Aryn headed towards where the entrance would be.

Once they were alone, Elias looked to Aryn and said: "Interrupt me again in front of my colleague, and I'll kill you. Understand?"

Aryn nodded.

" _Say it."_ Elias demanded.

"I… I understand, Grand Inquisitor." Colonel Aryn said, albeit hesitantly.

Elias nodded as he and the colonel continued on.

* * *

 _ **Where the entrance to Efrika Military Base would have been, not long later…**_

As Elias and Colonel Aryn approached, one of the Stormtroopers nearby came up to them.

"Your survivors are over there." The Stormtrooper said, gesturing to the two officers, who were nearby.

Elias nodded thanks and he and Colonel Aryn approached the officers, one of which rushed Colonel Aryn.

"Cersei!" The officer said.

"Jax!" the colonel cried as she embraced her cousin. Breaking the embrace, she said: "Thank goodness you're safe. We had thought you'd deserted."

Jax shook his head. "I never considered it. All I wanted was to get as far away from the base as possible, and then return to try and help the survivors."

Elias nodded. "Very loyal of you."

Jax quickly noticed the Grand Inquisitor, and saluted. "Reporting for duty, sir."

"At ease, Lieutenant." Elias said. Folding his arms, Elias asked: "What can you tell me about this attacker that single-handedly destroyed your base?"

"Not much. His face was covered with a hood, but he was about your height, well built, but not too stocky, and he looked to be Mobian, like you." Jax replied.

Elias nodded, unfolding his arms. "Was he using blasters?"

"Yes sir. It looks like he was using one of our blasters. Must have stolen it off a dead trooper's corpse." Jax answered. "Forgive me asking, but why ask?"

"Just asking." Elias said. "To make sure of something."

Jax nodded, though his gaze had turned from respectful to suspicious. "If you want more information, talk to Lieutenant Lecter over there. He was in there longer than I was."

Elias nodded. "Thanks for your time." Turning to the Colonel, Elias said: "Take your cousin to the shuttle. I'll meet you there."

Cersei nodded. "Yes sir." At this, she took Jax by the shoulder and walked him in the direction of the shuttle.

Elias watched them leave before he turned to Lieutenant Lecter, walking over and folding his arms. "Anything you can tell me about the attacker, Lieutenant?"

"None that he's already told you, sir. The attacker kept his identity well hidden, that's for sure." Lecter replied.

Elias scowled. "A pity." Drawing his lightsaber, he prepared to behead Lecter, declaring: "Then you are of no use to me." At this, he slashed down, but before he could kill the lieutenant, Lecter cried out:

"Wait!"

Lowering his lightsaber, Elias demanded: "What?"

"Before he let me leave, the attacker told me to give this to you. He said to give it to you when I saw you." Lecter elaborated, producing the holo that the attacker had given him.

"Have you listened to the message?" Elias asked, snatching it from Lecter's grasp.

"No sir. It's for your eyes only." Lieutenant Lecter replied.

Elias nodded, putting it away as he stroked the lieutenant's cheek. "Such loyalty." With this small statement, he plunged his lightsaber into Lecter's chest, saying: "A pity that loyalty hasn't saved you." Jerking his blade free, he watched as Lecter sank to his knees.

Lieutenant Lecter looked up to Elias, his face a living embodiment of the question: Why? His eyes then looked up to the sky, and he finally fell to his side, and all was still.

Elias switched off his lightsaber, and without a second thought, turned and headed back to the shuttle. He was done here.

* * *

 _ **Elias' Shuttle, 4:00 am**_

All eyes turned to Elias as he entered the shuttle, with Cersei being the first to walk up to him.

"Where's Lieutenant Lecter?" She asked.

"Dead." Elias said bluntly as he passed his lover. "He was of no use to us."

"Surely he had something." The Female Inquisitor said.

"He did." Elias said, producing the holo. "He gave this to me before I killed him."

"Well, how about we all watch it here. Maybe together we'll be able to discern the attacker's identity." Jax suggested.

"An astute solution." Elias said. "But the lieutenant said this was for my eyes only. The attacker said so."

"The attacker? You mean the attack on the base was meant as a message for you?" Cersei asked, sounding very concerned.

"Perhaps." Elias said. "Maybe this attacker was another of the Freedom Fighters. Knuckles, perhaps?"

"Unlikely. This isn't his style." The Female Inquisitor said. "Shadow is a far more likely candidate for this type of work."

"True." Elias said to his colleague. "But we must not be fooled. This could be a new Freedom Fighter, a fresh addition to their ranks that we know nothing about."

"Now that you mention it, that is a possibility." Cersei said. Placing a hand on her chin, she said: "This could be bad news. Very bad news."

"You're right." Jax said. "If what the Grand Inquisitor suggests is true, then we're completely in the dark on this person. We know next to nothing of their skills, or their background. The one thing we have is that this person is immensely skilled with weapons."

"In all bluntness, he's dangerous." The Female Inquisitor said, just as the shuttle lifted off.

Elias fingered the holo gingerly, before saying: "True. But for now, let's sit back, enjoy the flight, and when I get back, I shall watch the holo. So let us leave it at that."

The three other occupants nodded, and all fell silent, as the shuttle flew towards Mobotropolis.

* * *

 _ **Elias' quarters, 7:30 am**_

The door hissed open as Elias set foot in his room for the first time since early the previous evening. Letting out a sigh, Elias walked towards his desk, sat down at it, and brought out the holo.

Studying it for a matter of minutes, Elias saw that it did not seem suspicious, or at the least bit tampered with. Elias nodded approvingly at this. He had seen many traps that could be set under the disguise of a holo such as the one currently on his table at the moment. Taking a deep breath, Elias pressed the activation button.

Almost instantly, the image of a hooded Mobian appeared on the screen, their arms folded.

"Elias." The hologram said, their voice male but disembodied, sounding like the voice was being masked. "I have but one question for you: Do you believe in ghosts?"

Elias scoffed. "No. I never have."

As if on cue, the hologram spoke again: "Well, consider this a warning: Once you find out who I am; you're going to wish that I was a ghost."

* * *

 **Confession: That last line, I had it in my head for a long while now. It came into my mind when I was thinking of something badass for one of my characters from a fanfic that will not be published to say. Needless to say, I found it.**

 **Other than that, please leave your reviews, and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock 14**


	9. Chapter 9: Rest and Recuperation

**Chapter 9: Rest and Recuperation**

 _ **Tails' House, Angel Island Village, 8:30 am**_

Tails' eyes fluttered open as the sun glared through the curtains of his bedroom window, at which he groaned. He hated that. Throwing off his duvet, Tails sat up, first looking towards his shoulder, which was heavily bandaged. Tails scowled as he remembered the previous night's events, grimacing as he recalled the feeling of Elias' lightsaber searing into the flesh of his shoulder as their duel ended. His gaze turned to his sole remaining lightsaber, which sat idly on his nightstand, alongside what had been Roman's DL-44 Blaster Pistol. Picking up the former, Tails first looked out some clothes for the day, and then headed into his shower. Turning on the water, Tails set his lightsaber on the side, undressed, removed the bandages on his shoulder wound, and stepped into the shower, letting out a sigh of what could be seen as relief as the warm water splashed over him, small rivers forming in the lines of his muscles, of which he had many, and seeping into the blackened jagged slash across his right shoulder.

As he started to wash, Tails looked over at the wound, tracing his left index finger across the line the wound had cut into him. With a frown, he knew that the wound would scar. Thankfully, it would not do so all that badly, though it would be somewhat visible if one looked close enough. His thoughts shifted to those of what he would do today, remembering he had been invited to lunch with Bunnie and Antoine today, and he had been asked by Rotor to help him with something. Tails suspected that Rotor would try and persuade him not to help, due to his shoulder, but Tails was determined to stop that from happening. He was perfectly capable of doing things, even when wounded or injured. He'd proved that shortly after the Battle of Mobotropolis when he'd helped with the construction of the Freedom Fighters' new headquarters, despite having badly broken his arm a month earlier. Tails smiled at the memory of Sally's astonished face as he helped Antoine lift a wooden beam, and her frequent attempts to get him to stop. They hadn't worked, and Sally had left in a huff.

Finishing his shower, he turned off the water, stepped out of the cubicle, and dried himself off, making sure to take care around his shoulder wound. After that, he wiped down the mirror, and took some time to stare into it. Two years of strenuous combat training had provided him with an impeccably well-muscled body for his age, though many of the muscles were hidden by his semi-thick fur. Turning his attention back to other matters, he redressed his shoulder wound, using the Force to wrap the bandages around the wound. Wrapping a towel around his waist, Tails stepped out from the bathroom and headed to his wardrobe, throwing on some boxer shorts and socks, followed quickly by black work-out shorts, and a white vest, grabbing some clothes and a towel, placing them in a bag before grabbing his lightsaber and heading out the house. He had stuff to do.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, Sonic and Sally's house…**_

Sonic's eyes slowly opened to the feeling of something caressing his shoulder.

Or someone, rather.

"Morning, Sonic." Sally said gently, smiling warmly. She was still in bed with him, garbed in just a black vest and her panties. Her hair was also all over the place, a common happening when it came to sleep.

Sonic smiled as he sat up a little and kissed his wife of two years gently on the lips, breaking the kiss as he once again stared into the sapphire coloured eyes of the only woman he had ever truly loved, the person he had given everything for, including his life. "Morning to you too, Sal. Sleep well?"

Sally shook her head. "No. I was too full of what-ifs and whatnot after last night."

Sonic sat up in their bed, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Sal, if you're blaming yourself for what happened to Tails, don't. He's fine now. Sure, he no longer has one of his lightsabers, but he can learn to live without it. Besides, he can learn to be just as good with one lightsaber." Moving his hand so that it now caressed Sally's cheek, Sonic added: "And as always, you still have me."

Sally smiled as she placed her own hand over Sonic's, replying: "And I'd change nothing about it." Using Sonic's hand as leverage, she pulled Sonic closer, kissing him again, but more passionately.

Sonic responded by rolling backwards so that Sally was on top, deepening the kiss they were sharing as he moved to remove her top.

Sally attempted the same, except with Sonic's boxer shorts, until a familiar voice said:

"Ahem."

Both Sonic and Sally stopped whatever they were doing, and looked towards the newcomer: Nicole.

"If you two are finished, there's work to be done." Nicole said firmly.

Sally groaned, replying: "Nicole, need I remind you that today's a day off for me and Sonic?"

Nicole quickly narrowed her eyes, checked what day it was, and said: "Sorry." Before dissipating.

Sonic gently pushed Sally off of him as he got out of bed, saying: "Best have a shower, then."

Sally got out of bed too, stopping Sonic as he was about to enter the bathroom, saying: "Not without me, you're not."

Sonic smiled coyly as he allowed himself to be dragged inside the bathroom, where minutes later, certain sounds started to emerge.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, Ashley's house…**_

Ashley's eyes shot open, and she almost rocketed into a sitting position, but she willed herself not to, remembering: _It's just a dream._ She almost expected strong but gentle hands to wrap around her, with the familiar deep voice asking:

"You alright?"

But no such thing came. And again, reality hit Ashley. And it hit with the force of a landspeeder travelling at high speed: Roman was dead. And she was alone.

She fought them as hard as she could, but even now, she could not hold back the fountain of tears that came. Long heaving sobs escaped the feline former G.U.N agent, the memories flooding back as the tears fell…

* * *

 _ **Flashback, Castle Acorn, 27**_ _ **th**_ _ **June 3239, 6:15 pm…**_

"Roman! We need to leave!" Ashley shouted to Roman, who was currently locking lightsaber blades with Elias, on the bridge standing between Castle Acorn, now under Imperial control, and the outside world, still free, for now.

Roman turned, and he saw what was going on, at the expense of his attention on Elias, who pushed his way out of the blade lock.

Elias, seeing the opening, instantly kicked upwards, knocking Roman's lightsaber out of his hand. Seizing the chance, he followed that with an upward slash, which caught Roman on the right hip, slicing Roman open from there to his left shoulder, the force of the blow forcing Roman to do a one-eighty degree turn.

" _ **NO!"**_ Ashley shouted at the top of her lungs, accompanied in this by Tails, who was the only other person present.

Roman sank to his knees, staring at Tails and Ashley as if in a trance.

Elias stepped forwards, eyeing both Ashley and Tails. His face devoid of any emotion, he simply said: "Witness hell." With this, he reared back, and drove his lightsaber up to the hilt into Roman's back, the crimson blade bursting out of the vulpine Jedi's chest.

Ashley fought back tears as she watched, her hands over her mouth and nose, as she heard Tails whimper one last despaired word:

" _No…"_

Elias tore his blade out of Roman, and to rub salt into the wound, kicked Roman off the side, sending the vulpine into the depths.

* * *

 _ **Present Day, Ashley's house, Angel Island Village, 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **July 3241, 9:33 am…**_

Ashley didn't know how long she cried for, and neither did she care. It had been a little over two years since she had watched the love of her life fall to his demise, and two years since her heart had been torn completely free from her chest, and crushed before her very eyes. She would never see the familiar visage of Roman again, striding at her side like the confident young vulpine he had been. She would not ever have the pleasure of hearing his deep voice call her name another time, or hear him in a hushed whisper say ever so softly:

"I love you."

And worst of all, she would under no circumstances ever be able to hold him again, much less feel the warm feeling she felt whenever around him, nor have the sensation of his touch, or the taste of his lips on hers. All because the men and women who currently controlled Mobius wanted him and those like him dead.

Eventually, she forced her hands to move away from her puffy, tearful eyes, and she wiped the still falling tears from her face. Every waking hour for her was no different these days. Always the same, remembering that fateful day two years ago, watching helplessly as Elias' crimson blade tear Roman open from hip to shoulder, and drive it home through Roman's heart, before finally kicking her lover into the depths of the river beneath. And in addition, that all too familiar ache she felt. That of her heart, or what remained of it, crying out for more, crying out for love. But Ashley would forever deny her heart that feeling. Her only sources of happiness nowadays were either watching as another instrument of the Imperial machine burned, or felling another Imperial Stormtrooper, or watching the children of Angel Island village play.

The latter she watched with happiness, but with a tinge of bitterness, remembering that she had often spoke with Roman of children. The family she had always dreamed of, and could have had with Roman, now forever denied her by the individual whose visage lay stuck to her wall, and that currently had her combat knife protruding from it. The latest of many scars on the picture. She would never be able to personally avenge Roman, she knew that fact well. She was happy that Tails had begun his Jedi training again, this time under a friend of Roman's in Seth. Perhaps Tails would be the instrument of her retribution. Getting out of bed, she walked into her shower, many thoughts clouding her troubled mind.

* * *

 _ **Later, with Tails, Angel Island Gym, 10:30 am…**_

Sweat dripped hard down Tails' brow as he forced himself to pull himself up to his chin, a grunt of exertion escaping his lips. He'd been at this for nearly an hour and a half now, torturing his body in order to make it stronger. He had always changed up his work-outs every few weeks to challenge his muscles, and they had gotten the results that now showed whenever he had his fur flat against his body, as it was now after so much sweating. He remembered he had another round of training with Seth this morning and afternoon, as his schedule required almost all of his time to train as a Jedi. Seth had simply responded that he was training Tails the way his master, the great Obi Wan Kenobi, had trained him. Tails had already eaten breakfast, having eaten at the small café that was attached to the gym before beginning his workout.

Finally dropping down to the floor after one last repetition, Tails allowed himself to catch his breath. Sweat still dripped from his brow as he bent over, holding himself upright with his hands on his knees. Reaching out, he grabbed his water canteen and took a drought from it. He was done for the day. For now, at least.

The sound of a familiar voice grunting drew his attention, as he turned to see a very surprising sight: That of Ahsoka punching and kicking the living crap out of one of the heavy bags that were used for such things, despite being nearly five months pregnant. Raising an eyebrow, Tails walked over. "Of all the people I expected to spot in here, you weren't one of them." Tails said.

Ahsoka turned to see Tails, and she smirked. "I could say the same for you, young man. Didn't Cream give you strict instructions _not_ to do anything strenuous until that wound heals?" She was wearing work-out clothes herself, those being a black work-out bra, black work-out leggings, and boots. Her rounded womb was on full view, bare to the whole world.

Tails scoffed. "I never listen to Cream's medical advice. Most of the time, she's just a bit paranoid."

Ahsoka smiled. "You know, back in the day, when a medic told you to do something, you did it. We all had a saying: 'In terms of medical requirements, a medic outranks everyone'."

Tails folded his arms. "That right?"

"Yes." Ahsoka said.

Tails smiled. "Well, didn't the medic that told you that you were pregnant tell _you_ not to do anything strenuous? From what I've heard, that can do your baby some serious harm."

Ahsoka smiled. "No-one told me I was pregnant. I found out via pregnancy test."

"Oh." Tails said. "Now that explains a lot."

Ahsoka giggled. "And I've exercised throughout my pregnancy. And it hasn't done me, or the baby any harm."

Tails gingerly placed his hand over Ahsoka's belly, as if it were made of explosives. "So… there's just the one?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Yeah. Me, you and Seth would know if I was expecting twins, or multiple babies for that matter." She looked at the time and said: "So how about we work out some more until it's time for your morning training with Seth? The reason he's not here is because he always wakes up early to work out. He's likely already waiting for the two of us. It could give us some time to get to know each other a bit more."

Tails nodded. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

 _ **Later, Plains by the Master Emerald Shrine, 11:50 am…**_

"And, drop." Seth said.

Tails finally let go of his hold on the large boulder he was levitating with the Force, allowing it to fall with a loud crash, shaking the area around them.

"Whoa!" Ahsoka exclaimed as she wobbled on her feet, falling backwards onto her butt. "Try not to drop something so heavy next time so hard, Tails. My water could have broken there."

That caught Seth's attention "What!?"

Ahsoka burst out laughing, getting to her feet. "I was joking, Seth. I wouldn't go into labour that easily."

Seth sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that, 'Soka. Because it could come to the time you do actually go into labour, and I'll think you're joking again."

"You got to admit, that was funny." Tails said, supressing his own outburst of laughter.

Seth smirked. "Well, when you and whatever girl you end up with have a kid on the way, I'll tell her to repeat that same joke. And _then_ we'll see who's laughing."

Tails stopped laughing as he retorted: "We'll see about that, daddy-dearest."

Ahsoka burst out laughing again, as Seth blinked in surprise at the sudden retort.

"That's a new one." Seth remarked.

"One I can't wait to tell the clones." Ahsoka said between laughs.

Seth sighed as he quickly switched on his lightsabers. "You'll pay for that now, Tails."

Tails ignited his own lightsaber, replying: "I need the practice anyway, if I'm to stand any chance against Elias the next time I fight him."

Seth attacked swiftly, slashing at Tails with both of his lightsabers, each separately, but in the same arc.

Enmeshing himself in the Force, Tails dodged the first strike and parried the other, using the momentum from the parry to counterattack with a swing at Seth's flank.

"Nice one!" Seth remarked, parrying the blow with his left-hand lightsaber, Seth pushed the blade away and spun his right hand lightsaber into the Shien reverse-grip, stabbing at Tails' belly.

Tails avoided the attack by leaping over Seth and spinning his lightsaber, intercepting Seth's overhead strike and spinning out of the blade lock it created to avoid Seth's stab at his belly, backing away as he parried several of Seth's strikes; an overhead stab to his face followed by a slash at his waist, a twin bladed slash at his left shoulder, and a sweep at his legs, which he used to leap over Seth again.

Seth saw this coming, and stopped Tails in his tracks with a backward kick to the kit's face, hearing Tails grunt as the sole of Seth's boot met his jaw, knocking him down.

Tails quickly got to his feet, holding his lightsaber defensively in front of him.

"Pretty good." Seth remarked. "But your Form Three is still in need of improvement."

Tails shrugged. "No surprise there. You have only been teaching me for a few weeks."

"True. Now, let's try again." Seth said.

Tails nodded as he raised his lightsaber again, intercepting Seth's lightsaber blades as they resumed sparring.

* * *

 _ **One hour later, Antoine and Bunnie's house, 13:00 pm**_

Antoine and Bunnie chuckled as the latter asked Tails: "So what'd you say back to him after he threatened you with the same prank?" Bunnie inquired.

Tails smirked. He was telling Bunnie and Antoine about the jokes he and Seth had shared that morning. "I just replied: 'We'll see about that, daddy dearest'."

Husband and wife burst out laughing as they heard the conclusion to the joke, Bunnie saying: "Ah can see why you wanted to share that wit' us, sugar. That was funny as heck."

"I agree." Antoine said "Zat was 'ilarious."

"You can say that again, sugar." Bunnie said as she pecked Antoine on the cheek.

Tails smiled as he sat back in his chair, folding his arms. "Anyway, enough about me, how about you two? How're things going for you two?"

"They're going great, sugar. Thanks for asking." Bunnie said, smiling at her younger friend. "Things have been hard, what with Vanilla's death, but…"

Tails reached out and placed his hand on Bunnie's cybernetic one, saying: "I'm sure they would have been. But I doubt Vanilla would want you to continuously mourn her. Cream knows that. But, then again, Cream still has you, and you two have her."

Bunnie and Antoine nodded. "Even zough she ees showing zee signs of becoming a teenager." Antoine remarked.

Tails smiled. "Wasn't too long ago that it was me in her position."

Bunnie smiled back, just as they heard the ring of the timer.

"Guess luncheon ees served." Antoine said as he got out of his chair and walked over to the oven, taking out the trio's lunch: freshly made chili-dogs.

Tails smiled. "Just what the doctor ordered." He said as Antoine placed some of the grated peppers onto the sauce, which happened to be barbecue sauce, before bringing it to the table, serving three to all three of them.

"Well, what'd you expect?" Bunnie asked as she began eating.

Tails shrugged as he took a bite, chewed a bit and swallowed, replying: "I don't know, something else? No offence."

"None taken, sugar." Bunnie replied gently as she ate the chili dog still in her hand, finishing it with ease. "That was good."

Antoine finished his seconds later, shuddering at the spice that coursed over his taste buds. "Oui. Zat was bien."

Tails smirked as he finished his, not even bothered by the burning sensation the spice in the chili-dog gave his tongue. "What's the matter Antoine, can't handle the heat?"

Bunnie giggled. "Sugar, you know as well as Ah do that Antoine isn't overly fond of spicy food."

Antoine nodded. "Eet 'urts when I go to zee latrine."

Tails suppressed a laugh as he looked to Bunnie, jerking a thumb to Antoine. "Latest outdated word from Antoine D'Coolette."

Bunnie burst out laughing while Antoine raised an eyebrow at Bunnie, rolling his eyes as they continued eating lunch.

* * *

 _ **Later, 13:45 pm…**_

"Thanks for the lunch, guys." Tails said as he stepped out onto Bunnie and Antoine's porch.

"It's no problem, Sugar. You'll always be welcome here." Bunnie said as she hugged Tails.

Tails smiled. "Thanks, anyway." Turning to Antoine, he gripped the coyote's arm firmly as they shared a short hug. "Thanks for the lunch, Ant. You're still living up to everyone's claim."

Antoine smiled as he replied: "I'm glad you enjoyed eet, Tails. See you soon."

"Yeah. See you around, guys!" Tails called out as they re-entered their home. Turning away, he walked off their porch, and into the village. It wasn't long before he spotted a familiar feline walking by. Smiling he called out: "Ashley!"

The aforementioned former G.U.N agent turned, and she smiled as Tails walked up. "Afternoon Tails. Haven't seen you all day."

Tails chuckled. "Yeah, that's because I went to the gym, trained with Seth for a good while, and I just left Bunnie and Antoine's." He shifted a little on his feet as he added: "Anyways, what are you planning on doing today? We haven't really had a chance to talk for a while now."

Ashley nodded. "I was just headed to Sally's house, mainly just to plan the next attack we're going to stage next fortnight."

Tails nodded. "That sounds about right to me." He folded his arms as he asked: "So anything after that?"

Ashley placed her hands on her hips. "Just what are you so desperate to talk to me for?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

Tails sighed as he replied: "I'm worried about you, Ash. You've rarely spoken to anyone for two weeks, including me, and it's driving me crazy. And whenever we do see each other, it's usually because you've gotten yourself completely drunk. Does this somehow have something to do with Roman's death being just over two years ago?"

Ashley sighed as she walked past, saying: "You're right. And, I'm grateful for the concern. But this is something I need to sort out on my own. I'm sure I'll never fall in love again, but… At least I can still find the strength to live my life. Just like Roman would have wanted." At this she walked away, leaving Tails standing there, watching her go.

"How do you know if this is what Roman would have wanted?" Tails called out after her.

Ashley stopped, turned and walked back towards Tails. "I'd ask you the same question." She replied, her tone suddenly becoming very steely.

"In my opinion, Roman wouldn't want you wallowing away like this." Tails protested. "He would have wanted you to live your life, move on, and maybe meet someone else. He wouldn't want you wasting your life in your self-pity."

Ashley quickly made to slap Tails, but he caught her arm with shocking reflexes, making her wince at his strength. Pushing him away, Ashley felt tears threaten to fall as she choked: "Just… just leave me alone."

"I don't want to, Ash." Tails replied. Stepping closer, he placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "All I want is for you to be okay. I owe Roman that much, and more." He gave her a reassuring smile as he reached out with his other hand, placing it on her other shoulder.

Ashley finally just wrapped her arms around Tails, gently sobbing on his shoulder. "I miss him… _so_ _ **fucking**_ _much."_ She sobbed.

"Don't we all?" Tails replied. Breaking the hug, but keeping one hand on her shoulder, he wiped away Ashley's tears, saying: "No matter how much they seem to have moved on, everyone misses Roman just as much as you do, Sally, Sonic, myself and Cream especially. He was one of my best friends besides Sonic."

Ashley nodded, smiling. Looking about, she said: "I'd best get going. It's nearly time for my meeting with Sally."

Tails smiled. "True. Now that I think about it, I have to help Rotor with something. He may try to stop me, due to my wound, but I'll help anyway."

Ashley smiled. "I'd expect nothing less." She hugged Tails again, and walked away, leaving him standing there, smiling to himself.

With this, Tails walked away towards Rotor's house, glad he at least had helped Ashley to some extent.

* * *

 _ **Later, Rotor's house, 14:00 pm…**_

Climbing up the steps to Rotor's front door, Tails took his lightsaber from his belt and banged the pommel of it on the door.

"Coming!" bellowed the familiar voice of Rotor as footsteps were heard, followed by the sounds of locks being unlocked and whatnot.

Finally, the door opened to reveal the large walrus.

"Tails?" Rotor asked, surprised. He had grown taller in the time since the battle of Mobotropolis, now standing at an immense six-foot eight, about the same height as Roman's aged master, Cain Roth. He had also kept up his overall muscle mass, despite having retired from the field a few months ago after sustaining a catastrophic knee injury. His left knee remained in a brace.

Tails shrugged. "You needed help with something?"

Rotor frowned as he said: "I don't know, Tails. I heard about your wound, and-"

" _Rotor."_ Tails interrupted forcefully. "I'm fine. No matter what Sally says. All she's doing is unnecessarily wrapping me in cotton wool. I worked out today, and my shoulder's fine."

Rotor sighed as he replied. "If you say so, but don't yell at me if you end up tearing your pectoral muscle."

Tails smirked. "Glad to see you too, Rotor." He said as he followed Rotor inside.

Rotor led Tails into his workshop, walking with a pronounced limp as he did, explaining: "So, what I needed your help with was to test some armour I've been developing."

"What kind of armour?" Tails inquired.

"Seth and the clones donated some old pieces of armour they didn't need to me in order for me to start this project, and thankfully, I've been able to get something out of it." Rotor elaborated. "A mix of the armour the clones wore into battle, and what Seth called 'Beskar Iron'. And the results are quite remarkable."

Tails made to inquire further, but he found himself lost for words as he lay eyes on the armour Rotor had been speaking of.

It bore a striking resemblance to pictures of old Phase I Clone Armour Seth had shown Tails, but blended that together with that of the Mandalorian Armour Seth wore, almost a hybrid of the two styles of armour. It was coloured completely black, but it seemed that there was entirely room for customisation.

Turning to Rotor, Tails asked: "What do you want me to do?"

Rotor scratched the back of his head, replying: "I recall Seth once told me Beskar Iron had the capability to resist blows from lightsabers, but I have no idea whether the compound I made from Beskar Iron and the material the clones' armour is made of has the same capability."

Tails took his lightsaber from his belt as he asked: "So, what you want me to do is walk up to that brand new suit of armour and take a swing at it with my lightsaber?"

Rotor nodded. "Pretty much."

Shrugging, Tails ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade illuminating the entire room. Stepping forward, Tails spun his lightsaber, and slashed at the armour with all his might, closing his eyes and trusting in the Force to find him his target. He felt his lightsaber strike his target, and then, nothing. Opening his eyes, Tails found that his lightsaber had not cut through the armour like he had thought, but instead, not even made a dent.

"Remarkable." Rotor remarked as he stood next to the armour. "It didn't even scratch it."

Lowering his lightsaber, Tails spun it once before turning it off. "I'm surprised."

Rotor smiled as he shrugged. "Well, I guess this suit of armour is a success."

Tails smiled before asking: "Forgive me for asking, but is this armour-"

"Your size?" Rotor finished. "Because you're right. This suit is your size. Because, this prototype suit of armour is for you."

Tails blinked in surprise. "For me?"

Rotor nodded. "I figured since you're growing increasingly likely to engage an Inquisitor whenever you go on a mission, I'd give this to you. Seth's already got his bases covered with his armour, so I made the armour your size. So you can take as much punishment as he can."

Tails smirked. "Mind if I try it on?"

"You might want to put this on first." Rotor said, producing a large bodysuit similar to that that the clones wore underneath their armour.

Tails nodded and said: "Wait here." Tails said as he walked behind something, beginning to undress.

* * *

 _ **A few minutes later, 14:15 pm…**_

Rotor found himself just about dozing off when he heard Tails' voice call him:

"Rotor!"

Rotor snapped awake, and sat up in his chair to find an awe-inspiring sight before him.

Tails stood adorned in the armour, arms proudly folded over his chest as he gave a twirl. "How do I look?"

Rotor stood up and smiled. "Like a warrior ready for a fight." He proceeded to examine various parts of the armour, ensuring that everything was strapped properly and whatnot, and he found that everything was. Stepping back, Rotor said: "That armour suits you. That's all I can say about this garb."

Tails looked about and inquired: "Is there a helmet I can use that goes with the armour? Or hasn't that been made yet?"

"The latter is correct." Rotor replied, sitting down. "I've been doing some blueprints, if you'd like to see them."

"That would be very much appreciated, thank you." Tails replied. "On the plus side, I could make some changes to them."

"Sounds good enough to me." Rotor said as he looked away from Tails, to nothing in particular, saying: " Nicole, bring up the blueprints I made for a helmet that goes with Tails' armour."

As if on cue, the AI materialised into existence, smiling as she looked over Tails. "You look good in that armour, Tails."

Tails smirked, a small blush appearing on his face. "Thanks, Nicole."

Rotor got up. "The blueprints." He insisted.

"Right." Nicole said as she brought up said blueprints.

Tails folded his arms as he studied them. The helmets looked to be in the style of the Mandalorian Armour Seth preferred, but with a series of changes: For one, the area where the signature T-shaped visor the Mandalorians favoured would have been, instead, the facial area was left open, allowing for more visual awareness of the wearer's surroundings. The helmet's reach included the cheeks, as the helmet itself covered that area, while not obstructing the vision of the wearer. Furthermore, holes in the tops of the helmet clearly allowed for the ears to poke through, allowing for better hearing.

Tails nodded at this, asking Rotor: "How long until you can get one of these made?"

"About a week." Rotor replied. "Seth promised he would go on another supply run later tonight in order to procure some more Beskar Iron."

Tails smiled and said: "As soon as he does, get down to it. I may need that helmet for the next strike."

"Will do." Rotor replied.

Heading towards the same room he had used to change into the armour, Tails called out: "I'll leave the armour here until you can make me that helmet. Then I'll take it back to my place ready for the next strike."

"Okay." Rotor said as he looked to Nicole, and they shared a fist-pump.

* * *

 _ **Later, Area outside the shrine to the Master Emerald, 14:45 pm**_

"Someone looks to be in a good mood." Ahsoka remarked as she watched Tails walking up.

Tails smiled as he replied: "That's because I have a new set of combat gear, courtesy of Rotor."

Remembering a conversation he'd had with Rotor some weeks ago, and smirked. "Would this have something to do with a suit of armour Rotor told me he was in the process of developing?"

Tails nodded. "He made it with me in mind. He figured that since you're already covered with your armour, he'd make some for me using the compound he made from fusing Beskar Iron and whatever the material clone armour is made out of. And the results look rather badass."

Seth smiled as he said: "That reminds me, I did promise to go on a supply run in order to get Rotor some more Beskar Iron. He said he needed it to complete the armour he was making."

Tails nodded. "He still has to make me a helmet. He hopes he'll have it ready by next fortnight's strike."

Seth nodded. "I'd agree as well. Judging from where exactly we'll be attacking."

"Where's that? Tails asked.

Seth grimaced. "Artika Imperial Military base."

Tails suddenly felt a cold spike enter his heart, memories of what had happened in Artika two years before re-entering his mind. In the years since, what had been Artika Egg-Army base had now been expanded into one of the most important bases of the Imperial presence on Mobius. If the Freedom Fighters were able to take it out, it would send a massive message, one that showed that the Empire was not invincible. Looking to Seth, Tails asked: "Was there anything else?"

The Mandalorian Jedi nodded. "We've intercepted chatter between high ranking Imperials about a new threat to the Empire's presence here. Apparently, this threat was responsible for the destruction of Efrika Military Base. They're calling him 'The Ghost'."

Tails' eyes narrowed. "The Ghost? Why're they calling him that?"

"Because of a message this dude left at Efrika Base with some survivors for the Grand Inquisitor that mentioned something about how once this guy's identity was revealed, the Grand Inquisitor was going to wish he was a ghost."

Tails arms folded. "That doesn't make any sense."

Seth sighed as he took his lightsabers and ignited them. "True. But enough about that. We have you to train."

Tails smiled as he took his own lightsaber out, igniting it as he and Seth began to spar, the sounds of their mock duel filling the air.

* * *

 **Suspicions are beginning to form. I was actually going to have them deduce that 'The Ghost' was Roman in this chapter, but I decided against it.**

 **Anyway, please leave your reviews, and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	10. Chapter 10: Brand New Gear

**Chapter 10: Brand New Gear**

 _ **Roman, Silver and Blaze's safehouse, Spagonia, 15:30 pm**_

Roman stepped into the room to find Blaze waiting for him. Silver was also present, leaning against the door, looking at him. Looking about, Roman asked: "Pretty serious atmosphere. Any news?"

Blaze scowled. "Have you listened to anything we've ever said about keeping the news of your survival to yourself?"

Roman groaned. "Blaze, look, I-"

"Um, _no!"_ Blaze said. "That's not going to cut it. Despite us telling you _time and time_ again to not give any hints as to your survival, you go and do it anyway. Hasn't _anything_ we've said about things being better off if the Empire believed you were dead sunk in?!"

"It has, Blaze. But that's been your go-to argument for two years." Roman said, folding his arms. "And personally, I'm getting tired of all this sneaking around."

Blaze got to her feet as she placed her hands on her hips. "For your information, all this 'sneaking around' has kept _you,_ and _us_ alive these past two years!"

"That's something I'm well aware of." Roman said calmly. "But there's a time and a place for such things. And in my honest opinion, that time has passed. If the Empire deduce it to be me, then fine. So be it. But at least they know that the Freedom Fighters aren't their only problem."

Blaze sighed. "So that's why you left that message? To take some of the pressure off of the Freedom Fighters?"

"Yes." Roman replied. "They've got too much on their plate already. So far as I know, they have only one person that can wield the Force, and that's Tails. But Tails isn't fully trained. So all we've been doing up to this point, has only piled more pressure on the Freedom Fighters. This is what I've been saying ever since the Spagonia hit."

Blaze scowled. "And it's only been two missions we've-"

"Hold on. 'We'?" Roman asked. "There has never been a 'we'. It's always been _me_ doing all the missions. All you and Silver have been doing is fuck like a pair of drunk, horny Zeltrons."

Blaze made for Roman, snarling: "Why you-" Just as Silver got in the way.

"That's enough! Both of you!" Silver snapped. Turning to Blaze, Silver said: "Head for the room and cool off! I'll see you in there later."

Blaze glared at Silver and barged past him and Roman, making sure to barge past Roman really hard.

"Yeah, go cool off!" Roman called out after her. "Before you _really_ start living up to your name!"

"Roman, that's enough from you as well." Silver said, pushing Roman against the door.

Roman shoved Silver away from him hard, saying: "Get the fuck off me!"

Silver clenched his fists, the patterns on his gloves and bracelets beginning to glow. "Roman, calm down. There's no need for this." He said forcefully.

Roman remained where he was standing, clearly not intimidated. "If this is your idea of intimidation, it isn't working. I'm sick and tired of hiding." Turning and walking out of the door, Roman said: "It's time to step out of the shadows, Silver. You're just too reluctant to let me loose."

Silver watched him leave, saying: "Great!" Before heading to his and Blaze's room.

"Make sure you have protection, jackass!" Roman shouted as he heard Silver walk past.

Silver stopped, considered walking in and serving Roman a cold glass of 'Shut the fuck up', but decided against it, merely choosing to shake his head and head to his and Blaze's room. Anything more would merely incense Roman further.

* * *

 _ **Several Hours Later, 18:15 pm**_

The sound of loud knocking on the door drove Roman from his restful doze, forcing his eyes open as he turned his head to the door. "Who the fuck's there?"

"It's me." Came the voice of Blaze.

"Then fuck off!" Roman shouted. "I haven't got time for this."

"Time for what? To hear me apologise?" Blaze asked.

Roman sighed and rose from his bed, walking up to his door and opening it, revealing a dishevelled looking Blaze, who blushed as she realised Roman was topless. "You look like you've been busy."

Blaze folded her arms. "If you're just going to make remarks about how much me and Silver get physical, you can forget my apology."

Roman raised his hands in a placating manner. "Geez. If I knew I'd pissed you off that bad, I'd have apologised right there and then."

Blaze's expression softened. "Okay. Well, I guess now's a better time than any other: I'm sorry."

Roman folded his arms now. "I'm sorry too. But, you know I'm right; don't you?"

Blaze frowned as she nodded. "Maybe you are right. Maybe it is time we got out of the shadows." Looking up into Roman's eyes, Blaze closed hers, saying: "I wish I wasn't so protective. It's just, I guess I didn't want you to end up like we found you again: Barely alive. Or worse, dead."

Roman rolled his eyes and said: "Blaze, I'm sure you know this, but, I've proven time and time again how hard I am to kill. When you found me two years ago, I proved it to you and Silver."

Blaze smiled. "You were still barely alive. A few more minutes' maybe, and we would have been too late."

Roman nodded. "Maybe. But you weren't, and for that, like I've said numerous times, I'm grateful." He leaned against the doorway and folded his arms. "But, I'm not entirely sure that you just came here to apologise. And judging from the state your attire is in, I can attest only one particular reason."

Blaze seemed surprised. "What do you mean?"

"The back of your dress. It's unzipped. Now, that normally means you want something particular."

Blaze blushed and zipped the back of her dress up, quickly saying: "Sorry. If I'd noticed earlier, I'd have done it earlier. I guess I forgot after earlier."

Roman smirked and said: "That's what you get for having sex every night."

Blaze folded her arms. "You can be such an ass, you know that?"

"Takes one to know one." Roman retorted with a mischievous smirk.

Blaze slapped Roman lightly on the arm before saying: "Just come with me, Roman. Me and Silver have something to show you." At this, she turned and walked off.

Roman's eyes narrowed in interest as he followed Blaze, throwing on a shirt as he did.

* * *

 _ **Basement of the safehouse…**_

Stepping into the basement, Roman was met with a sight for sore eyes. "Damn." He remarked.

"Isn't it a beauty?" Silver said, gesturing towards the very thing Roman was staring at.

Roman merely smiled and folded his arms.

Stood up with the help of a mannequin was a set of armour bearing stark similarities to that of Mandalorian armour Roman had seen before, especially when dealing with the Death Watch during the Clone Wars. The only difference was, this armour was completely black, devoid of any other colour. It didn't have the traditional gauntlets a Mandalorian had, but instead, those of a Stormtrooper's, which didn't look too shabby. And instead of a helmet to cover the face was a large hood, sewn seamlessly into the underclothing. It didn't look at all out of place amongst the armour that surrounded it, merely gave an air of mystery to the person wearing the armour, which Roman suspected would be him.

"I'm guessing this stuff is for me." Roman said.

"Damn right it is." Silver said, folding his arms also. "Have you any idea how much it cost us to have a friend make this for you?"

"Don't tell me: Several grand?" Roman asked.

"Damn right." Silver said.

"Don't tell me the exact amount." Roman said. "I'd rather not know. Otherwise, I'd feel indebted to you, despite the both of you clearly having done this out of the goodness of your hearts."

"I guess we did." Silver said, sharing a smile with Blaze. Turning back to Roman, Silver said: "Go try it on. We're certain it'll fit."

Roman shrugged and approached the set of armour, beginning to undress, but not before he turned to Silver and Blaze, saying: "At least let me have some privacy. I let you have yours most of the time."

Silver and Blaze obliged, leaving Roman to himself, and his new gear.

* * *

 _ **Later, 18:25 pm…**_

Blaze snuggled against Silver and gave a low purr as she felt her hedgehog lover wrap his arm around her, pulling her ever closer as they both found themselves dozing off. And they would have, had they not heard a loud banging noise, alongside a gentle clearing of the throat:

"Ahem."

Both were instantly alert, looking up and towards the doorway, both smiling at what they saw.

Roman stood adorned in his brand new armour, the hood of it down, but he still looked like a force to be reckoned with. His body filled up the armour remarkably well, and he looked like a warrior incarnation of the Grim Reaper, come to take the souls of those who would try and cheat death.

The vulpine Jedi gave Silver and Blaze a three-sixty turn, saying with a cocky tone: "How do I look?"

Blaze sat up in her seat, folding her arms. "Like the warrior you always have been. With a few differences."

Roman shrugged. "Guess you raise a good point." He pulled up his hood, which covered the majority of his face, save for his muzzle, which stood out like lightning during a storm.

"Now you look like a common street thug. A very well armoured street thug at that." Silver remarked.

"I'll keep that in mind." Roman said, lowering his hood and sitting next to Silver and Blaze. "So, have you any idea where you want us to strike next?"

Blaze lay back. "Roman, we've just finished a strike last night. I think we can do with a few days' rest before starting to plan the next attack."

"Plus;" Silver added, "we need to make sure our next strike coincides with that of the Freedom Fighters. That is, if we're going to reveal ourselves."

Roman folded his arms. "A good chance of accomplishing that is heading to Angel Island. That's where me, Sally, and King Acorn planned to evacuate who we could if Mobotropolis ever fell to an enemy like Eggman or the Empire. It's likely where the Freedom Fighters will have set up their base as well."

Blaze sat up, looking Roman deep in the eye. "So what you're saying is that me and Silver should talk to the Freedom Fighters to see if our plans coincide."

Roman nodded. "And if possible, get Sally alone. Then, give her this." At this, he handed Silver and Blaze a holo.

Silver and Blaze eyed the holo suspiciously, Silver saying: "Is this a message for her from you?"

Roman nodded. "I at least want _her_ to know what's coming. She deserves that much."

Silver and Blaze looked at the holos and nodded, saying: "We'll show this to Sally, Roman. We promise you that."

"Make sure you do it quickly." Roman said. "Tomorrow would be best."

Hedgehog and cat nodded understanding, promptly rising from the sofa, and saying: "We should get to bed then. Long day tomorrow." Before heading to the stairs.

"Remember to wear protection!" Roman called out teasingly.

Blaze turned to face Roman and playfully flipped him off. "Cheeky." Blaze muttered as she ascended the stairs, following Silver.

Roman eased himself back, waiting for sleep to come. He too, had some things to do.

* * *

 **So things are finally falling into place for the final few chapters. What I'm doing currently is set up the final few chapters chapter by chapter, so that everything flows well.**

 **Moving right along, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock 14**


	11. Chapter 11: Epiphany

**Chapter 11: Epiphany**

 _ **Sonic and Sally's house, Angel Island Village, 5**_ _ **th**_ _ **July 3241, 9:30 am**_

Sonic woke up to hear the sounds of the shower running, at which he smiled. Listening to the sound of the water always helped him to wake up in the morning feeling good. He stepped out of bed as he pulled on his dressing gown, walking towards the door to the bathroom. Gently knocking, he called out: "Morning, Sal. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Just some fried eggs on toast, please." Came the gentle voice of his wife. "And good morning to you too. Sleepyhead."

Sonic chuckled to himself as he gently descended the stairs and onto the ground floor of his and Sally's house, heading into the kitchen and instantly washing his hands before grabbing some bread, two slices for him, and two slices for Sally, and sticking them in the toaster as he began focusing on the fried eggs, heating up the cooking hob and placing a frying pan over it, and getting two eggs each for him and Sally, cracking them, and letting them slide into the pan. He quickly noticed one of them had a double yoke, reminding himself to give that one to Sally.

As that thought entered his mind, so did the feeling of someone wrapping their arms around his waist.

"Morning, Sonic." Whispered Sally as she turned Sonic around to face her, giving him a gentle kiss when she had.

Sonic smiled as he kissed Sally again, albeit more passionately. Once he had, he looked over Sally's outfit of choice for the day, that being a stunning blue sundress, one that hugged her figure considerably, and accentuated most of the many fine aspects of her figure. He also caught a whiff of her perfume. "Looking and smelling great, as usual."

Sally smiled as she pulled Sonic close, saying softly: "Go shower and get dressed. I'll have breakfast ready when you get back."

Sonic mock saluted saying: "Yes, my princess." He punctuated this with a gentle kiss to the cheek as he headed back upstairs.

Sally smiled as she watched Sonic head upstairs, before turning to the eggs, which hadn't yet showed any sign of neglect. Starting to tend them like she would a fire at a campsite, Sally gently splashed some of the oil onto the eggs, all while considering adding some vegetables and fruit to the meal to make it that tad bit more healthy. She decided on this just as the eggs were finished, gently lifting them onto the toast, which by now had finished being toasted, placing the doubled yoked egg onto one of her toast slices and setting the plates aside. Turning to the fruit, she started taking some apples, pears and whatnot, and began cutting them into small slices and placing them into a bowl, adding some vegetables as well. Once this was done, she brought the breakfast over to the table, and walked right back over to the kitchen, beginning to wash up, all while wondering what she was going to do that day, aside from the romantic picnic she had planned with Sonic for dinner.

* * *

 _ **Not too long later, 9:45 am**_

"So, anything planned for today, Sonic?" Sally asked as she bit down on a piece of apple.

"Not really, save for that picnic later on today." Sonic said after swallowing the last of his eggs on toast. "I could possibly hang out with Tails today, since today's his day off. You?"

Sally shrugged as she ate another piece of apple, saying: "I haven't much planned either. Everything's set for the Artika base strike, and everyone else save for you and Tails are busy. I think."

Sonic sat back as he said: "Tell you what: Tails talked to me yesterday, talking about how he felt that Ashley's feeling the Roman blues again, since it's recently been the two year anniversary of his death. He asked if I could ask you to go give her a shoulder to cry on for a while."

Sally nodded as she rose to her feet. "Might as well get that done now, then." She said, just as they heard someone knocking on the door. "Who could that be?" Sally asked as she turned and headed to the door, opening it to find an out of breath Tails.

"Glad I reached you." Tails said, replenishing his lungs as he did.

Sally felt a tinge of worry in her heart, asking: "Tails, what's wrong?"

Tails suddenly looked at her quizzically. "Nothing's wrong, Sally. I was just tired from running all the way here from the outskirts of the village."

Sally's eyes narrowed as she asked: "What's going on at the outskirts?"

Tails smiled as he replied: "We just got reinforcements. Silver and Blaze just showed up."

Sally's jaw fell open at that information, just as Sonic walked up, also slack jawed at the sudden revelation. Silver and Blaze would be invaluable assets to the cause of the Freedom Fighters if they were to join forces. Sally could hardly contain her excitement at such a thing. "Where?" She asked eagerly.

"Like I said, the village outskirts." Tails said.

Sally looked to Sonic, whose slack-jawed expression now was replaced by a just as excited smile before she turned to Tails, saying: "Take us to them."

Tails nodded. "Gladly." At this, he sprinted off in the direction of the area he had mentioned.

Sally and Sonic quickly followed, their day having been brightened up a great deal.

* * *

 _ **Outskirts of Angel Island Village, 10:15 am**_

It wasn't long before Sonic and Sally spotted Silver and Blaze amongst the Freedom Fighters, currently greeting everyone that was there, including Ashley, who looked happy to see them. At this, Sally smiled. It felt good to see Ashley happy nowadays, and not either grieving over Roman or just keeping to herself. Moving closer, Sally called out: "Silver, Blaze!"

Both turned to see Sonic and Sally approaching, and walked over, Blaze hugging Sally, and Sonic hugging Silver.

"Great to see you, buddy!" Sonic said as he bro-hugged the near snow furred hedgehog. "Looking good!"

"You're not looking too bad yourself." Silver replied to Sonic. "Then again, you've never looked bad: To the girls that is."

Sonic laughed and gestured to Sally, saying: "As you're aware, I've only been seeing one woman recently, and she's now my wife."

Silver nodded. "I know. Congrats, anyway. Even though it's two years late."

Sonic chuckled again before hugging Silver again, just as the Sally and Blaze finished greeting each other.

"I'm glad you're here, Blaze. You and Silver." Sally said. "Things haven't been easy recently, given our losses."

Blaze nodded. "It's why we came, Sally. To save this time, and in turn-"

"Save the future?" Sally said quizzically.

Blaze smiled as she replied: "You read my mind." She hugged Sally again before turning to Sonic.

"Hey, Blaze." Sonic said as he hugged her, blushing a slight bit as he did. His small crush on Blaze was still there, but not as potently as it had been in the past.

"Hi, Sonic." Blaze said, also blushing a tad bit. Her crush on Sonic hadn't faded completely either, but had been surpassed by her love for Silver. "You good?"

Sonic nodded. "Could be better, given the circumstances, but good, nonetheless."

Blaze smiled and hugged Sonic again. "I'm not surprised. Congrats on marrying Sally by the way. Sorry about not being able to attend."

Sonic smiled. "It honestly isn't that big a problem. It's in the past now, so we can leave it behind us."

Blaze nodded, just as Sally finished greeting Silver.

"So." Sally said, looking at both Silver and Blaze. "What exactly did you come here for?"

Blaze smiled as she replied: "We came to join up with you. Just to say, we're the ones that are behind the strikes on the Empire's bases in Spagonia and Efrika."

"I can tell why they're calling you the 'Ghost', then, Silver." Sonic joked. "You practically are one."

Silver smirked and said: "Quite frankly, you've gotten it wrong, Sonic. I'm not 'the Ghost'."

Sonic and Sally's eyes narrowed in confusion as the latter asked: "Then who is?"

Blaze and Silver shared a look and asked: "Do you have anywhere we can speak privately? What we have to say cannot become common knowledge at this juncture."

Sally nodded and said: "Follow us." At this, she walked off with Sonic at her side.

Blaze and Silver quickly followed, leaving the Freedom Fighters to chat amongst themselves.

* * *

 _ **Freedom Fighters Command Post, 11:00 am**_

Sally opened the door and stood aside to let Silver and Blaze in first before following, Sonic close behind. Shutting the door firmly behind them, Sally faced Silver and Blaze, folding her arms. "Okay. So you say your ally is this 'Ghost' we've been hearing about on Imperial comm channels. But then there's the big question: Who is he? Or she for that matter."

Blaze stepped forward. "You might want to sit down for this, Sally. Considering the gravity of what is about to be revealed, you'll thank me for it later."

Sally frowned. "I'll stand, thank you. Bear in mind I watched my brother murder our father. That's pretty shocking in my book."

Blaze shrugged. "Suit yourself." Folding her arms, she asked: "Have you debated on the 'Ghost's' identity yet?"

Sally shook her head. "I heard Seth had talked to Tails about it, but nothing more."

Blaze's eyes narrowed. "Seth? As in Seth Kerran?"

Sally nodded. "That's right. How did you know?"

"Imperial comm chatter." Silver quickly said. "Pretty surprising what you can hear on there."

Sally nodded, before getting back to the conversation: "So, yeah. Seth has talked about it with Tails, but that's about it in terms of debate."

Blaze nodded and shared a look with Silver, and their eyes met, saying: _it's time._ Looking to Sally and Sonic, looking both in the eye, Blaze said: "This is why I wanted you to sit down; The 'Ghost'… It's Roman. Roman the Fox."

* * *

The moment Sally heard Roman's name, her mind went ablaze with possibilities until the shock of the realisation hit her, and she reached up, her hand on her heart. Looking up, Sally said: "That's not possible. Both Ashley and Tails saw Roman die. And, the river… There's no way he could have survived the fall, even if he was still alive at that point."

Silver sighed and took a holo from his belt, the same holo he recalled Roman giving them the day before. Reaching out with it, he said: "Then maybe this will help suspend your disbelief. Roman gave it to us to give to you. Maybe as further proof of his survival."

Sally gingerly reached out and took the holo, eyeing it suspiciously.

Silver nodded. "It's alright. Activate it."

Sally swallowed as she pressed the activation button, instantly fighting back tears as the visage of a friend she had long thought dead appeared.

"Hey, Sally." Roman said, his voice slightly garbled by the nature of the holo. "By this time, you're no doubt aware that I'm alive and well, instead of rotting as a corpse on some riverbed. First thing's first: I'm sorry for not showing my ass sooner. Silver and Blaze sure do like wrapping me in cotton wool. Stubborn assholes."

At this, Blaze and Silver rolled their eyes as the message continued.

"Second, you're likely wondering how the fuck I survived getting a massive trench slashed into my chest, getting a lightsaber through the chest, and kicked into a raging river. Well, here's the facts: Basically, the stab would have killed me, but more on that later. As for the slash across my chest, it thankfully only cut through one of my lungs. And then there's the forty-foot drop I took into the water. Now thankfully, I was sort of still conscious at that point, so I was able to use the Force to cushion my fall. But my body didn't account for the freezing temperature of the water, and the speed at which it was going at, which pretty much sent me into the nearest rock, which knocked me the fuck out." Roman chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "I swear I still have a scar from that. But anyway, according to Silver and Blaze, they found me barely alive on a riverbank. Blaze says that a few more minutes and they'd have been too late. I would have died on that riverbank. But I didn't. That's the main thing. Silver and Blaze found me just in time, and nursed me back to health. Well, Blaze was more of a nurse than Silver. All he did was make sure I wasn't doing anything I shouldn't be doing while Blaze was out looking for supplies." Roman chuckled. "But enough of that. What's important is what's going to happen. Don't tell anyone except those you absolutely trust of my survival. Preferably, don't tell anyone at all. But on top of all that, I really hope I can link up with you soon. Silver and Blaze keep saying that the longer the Empire don't know I'm alive, the better, but that doesn't count. All they're doing is putting more and more pressure on you, and I don't want that. Not for my best friends in the galaxy."

Tears started falling from Sally's cheek as she heard Roman say that.

Roman bowed his head before looking back up and saying: "Anyway, with luck, we'll see each other soon. And the gang will be back together again. Permanently." Roman looked about and said: "Well, this is yours truly Roman the Fox signing off. And on that note Sally:" As he said that last bit, he said: "I want my lightsaber back, please." At this, he pressed what was likely the end recording button, and his image dissipated.

Upon that happening, Sally sank to her knees, her heart almost bursting with a mix of emotions, as she tried not to start sobbing. "I… I can't believe it." She managed to say. "He's actually… he's actually alive."

Sonic was nearby, shaking with emotion at the revelation that his best friend next to Tails was still alive and well. Looking to Sally, he knelt down and hugged her, feeling her shake with emotion.

Blaze and Silver soon joined the group hug, whispering supportive words to them as they heard Sonic and Sally's silent crying.

After a few minutes, Sally and Sonic broke away, both smiling. "Thank you. Thank you for telling us of Roman's survival. Tell him… Tell him that our next strike is Artika Imperial base, and that we'll see him there."

Silver and Blaze nodded. "We'll tell him Sally."

"And tell him we miss him. Me, Ashley and Tails especially." Sally said. "Furthermore, give him the news that Seth Kerran, Ahsoka Tano, and his old clone troopers Shatter and Tusk are here. Lastly, tell him that I'll have his lightsaber for him when we meet each other."

Silver and Blaze nodded to this as well. "Will do, Sally." Hugging their friends one last time, they said: "We'll give him your regards."

Sonic came forward: "Better idea: How about we set up a meeting between Sally and Roman so that they can see each other in person, and Sally can give Roman his lightsaber and blaster before the strike."

Blaze and Silver nodded. "That sounds about right."

Sally turned to Sonic and said: "But Roman's blaster is in Tails' possession. Wouldn't that involve telling him and the others as well?"

Silver and Blaze sighed and said: "Maybe it is necessary to tell a few others so that everyone isn't surprised."

Sally nodded agreement. Turning to Sonic again, she said: "Send for Tails, Seth and Ahsoka. They deserve to know this."

Sonic nodded and left, leaving Sally, Silver and Blaze alone in the command centre.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

Tails felt glad he'd sat down as he watched Seth nearly faint from shock. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard, and from the looks of things, neither could Seth or Ahsoka, the latter of whom bore a gaunt, shocked look on her face, her hand on her belly.

"So, what you're saying is true?" Ahsoka asked. "Roman's really survived?"

Sally nodded, smiling. "He's alive, Ahsoka. Alive and well."

Seth placed his hands on his hips. "I'll believe that shit when I see it. I've always believed that seeing is believing, and I'm not about to stop now."

Sally sighed. "Seth, what we're saying is one-hundred percent true." She protested. "Roman's alive."

Seth folded his arms. "I still won't believe it until I see Roman in person. Until then, I'll just consider all this as bullshit."

"Seth!" Ahsoka said, rounding on her boyfriend. "How can you say that? Roman's your best friend."

"Whom I haven't seen in years, 'Soka." Seth replied firmly. "And the Roman I know wouldn't hide in the shadows and fight from them. He'd step into the light, and fight till his last breath."

"Apologies for interrupting, Seth," Blaze interrupted politely, "but you're failing to take into account the problems that could have arisen from that happening. It would have increased the pressure the Freedom Fighters had on them when you arrived."

Seth scowled. "Again, I'll believe you when I see Roman personally."

Ahsoka sighed. "Sorry. Seth can be a bit difficult to convince when it comes to this sort of thing."

"No apologies are needed, Ahsoka." Blaze said. Turning to Tails, she asked: "Tails? What's your stance on this?"

Tails looked up and replied: "I can see how Roman could have survived, now that I think about it, but I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he did. I mean, I was _there_ when Elias killed him." Sighing, and reaching for the blaster on his hip, the blaster that had belonged to Roman before it had belonged to him. Unholstering it, he handed it to Silver and Blaze. "Give that to him. It's rightfully his."

Blaze looked down at the blaster and nodded, saying: "We will." Getting up, Blaze said: "We'll contact you soon with what Roman says about a potential meeting between him and Sally. Be ready for it." Looking about, both said: "We'd better get ready to leave. Got things to do."

Sally nodded and hugged them both, saying: "Good luck, guys. I'll see you both soon."

Blaze and Silver nodded before saying goodbye to everyone else in the room before taking their leave.

Sally turned to everyone and said: "Make sure word of what was discussed in here does not escape this room. We cannot allow for anyone to discover this. Dismissed."

At this, everyone left the room, including Sonic and Sally, their day brightened considerably with the discovery of Roman's survival.

* * *

 **More setting up for the final few chapters of this fic. First up, Roman's potential meeting with Sally, and other things besides.**

 **Other than that, Please leave your reviews, and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	12. Chapter 12: Good News

**Chapter 12: Good News**

 _ **The Spagonia safehouse, 12:30 pm…**_

The door leading into the safehouse swung open as Roman stepped inside, making sure to close and lock the door when he had stepped completely inside. He had finished what he had needed to do, which included the procuration of some more food and drink. It was a job that had been usually reserved for Blaze, as Roman risked discovery by doing the shopping. But luckily, no-one had recognised him, mostly because his visage was unfamiliar to many in Spagonia, except for those with a keen memory and knowledge of Imperial targets. Another few hours of his time had been taken up gathering information that could prove useful to his, Silver and Blaze's plans, mainly from the biggest crime syndicate in the city, and an old enemy of the father of Ashley: Frederick the Cat, whom Roman knew was the head of the Imperial Security Bureau on Mobius now, and whose former henchmen, Alec Devron Otranto and Argo the Rhinoceros now carried major jobs in said organisation. But Roman had no interest in that, rather in the information the head of the crime syndicate had given him: In just under two weeks' time, Elias and the Female Inquisitor, alongside some high ranking Imperial Officer he had no interest in, would be heading to the Imperial base in Artika for a small inspection. The thought of his would-be killer made Roman's blood boil. Ever since he had returned to full health, Roman had been harbouring a deep desire for revenge against Elias, the one who had taken two years of his life away from him. And if there was to be a strike on the base, Roman could easily accomplish that. That is if the Freedom Fighters also intended on such a path, which he hoped they did. Otherwise, a potential reunion was off the cards for now, and he would rather reunite with his friends and comrades in the field of combat, instead of a meeting that could be spied on by Imperials, and could possibly lead the Imperials triangulating the location of the Freedom Fighters' base, and the very place he was sitting in right now.

The feeling of his stomach growling drew his attention, and he looked down, remembering he had not eaten since early that morning. Getting to his feet, he walked over into the kitchen, bringing in the food he had bought, putting all of it into its designated place, leaving out the things he wanted to have for lunch: Which was some bread, butter, and a few slices of chicken. Taking the two slices of bread, Roman carefully spread some butter over the bread, before placing the slices of chicken over one slice of bread, and quickly placing the other slice over that one. Taking a knife, he cut the two slices of bread in two, giving him two chicken sandwiches. Getting a plate, he placed the two sandwiches onto it before taking it into the lounge, placed it on the table, and grabbed himself an apple, and quickly fixed himself some hot chocolate before heading back into the lounge, where he began to start eating.

* * *

 _ **Half an hour later…**_

Roman finished cleaning the plate and had just placed on the drying rack when he heard the sound of the door opening, and a familiar voice calling out:

"We're back!"

Roman smirked and replied: "About fucking time! What, did you put a little time aside for some nookie before you decided to show your asses?"

"Ah, be quiet." Blaze said as she entered the room. "So, what'd you get up to in the time we were gone?"

Roman shrugged. "Just went out to get some food and other supplies we were running low on. On top of that, I went to our friendly neighbourhood information broker and got some intel that could be useful."

Blaze looked to him, saying: "What'd our friend have to tell you?"

Roman faced Blaze completely, just as Silver entered the room. "Apparently, our friend Elias and some other Imperial dignitaries are heading to Artika Imperial base for a routine inspection in a little under a fortnight. Might be a good chance to strike out at them as any."

Blaze nodded. "You raise a good point. Turns out, the Freedom Fighters are planning to strike Artika Base at that exact time."

Roman chuckled. "Well, shit. My hopes were realised." Folding his arms, Roman asked: "So how did the meeting go? Any news I should know about?"

"Nothing I'm aware of, but from what we saw, everyone looked in good spirits, especially Sally and Sonic." Silver replied.

Roman unfolded his arms and asked: "Did you manage to get Sally alone and give her the holo?"

Blaze nodded. "Though Sonic was also present."

Roman smiled. "That doesn't surprise me. Nowadays, I assume that where Sally is, Sonic isn't too far behind."

Blaze chuckled. "Sure looked like it."

Roman walked closer asking: "How'd they take the news?"

"Both cried at the news. I guess with happiness." Blaze said. She suddenly remembered something and pulled something out, saying: "I was told this belonged to you."

Roman walked over and smiled. It was his old DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol, still looking like it had when he had dropped it two years before. Taking it from Blaze, he felt an unspeakable joy as his hand once again curled around the familiar grip of the weapon, and his finger curled around the trigger. Looking it over in his hand, Roman nodded. "I see she's taken good care of it in my absence."

"Actually, it wasn't in Sally's possession." Blaze said. "We also felt it was necessary to tell Tails of your survival. Along with two other Freedom Fighters."

Roman folded his arms. "I suspected as much. He always did have an eye for my blaster." Looking about, Roman asked: "Anything else for me?"

Blaze shook her head. "Save for some news, no. Your lightsaber wasn't on Sally's person when she met with us. And it would have taken time for her to get it, which we didn't have."

Roman nodded understanding, asking: "So what's the news?"

Silver and Blaze shared a smile before the latter said: "You're going to love this: The two other Freedom Fighters that were present? They were old friends of yours. One of them just so happened to be one Seth Kerran."

* * *

 _Seth Kerran._ The name hit Roman with the force of a punch to the gut from General Grievous, but in a positive way. His face rapidly curled into a massive grin as he gave an elated: _**"YES!"**_ This was exactly the news he had wanted to hear. His best friend was back on Mobius. Looking to Blaze, Roman asked: "So he's taken up training Tails, then?"

Blaze nodded. "He has. I haven't seen them training, but Tails looked a lot better than he has in a long while."

Roman nodded. "Good to know. Anything else?"

Blaze shook her head. "Nothing except a little message from Sally: She's beyond happy that you're still alive, and, as such wants to meet with you personally."

Roman smiled as he leaned against the nearest place he could lean against, saying: "I assume this is to give me back my lightsaber?"

Blaze nodded. "And to plan the strike on Artika Base alongside us."

Roman nodded agreement. "I'm available every day, but I'd prefer something in the weekend. Because it's not that long after today, but not too early either. Maybe Saturday."

Both Blaze and Silver nodded agreement. "We'll ask what Sally thinks, and we'll decide on a date. That sound good?"

Roman nodded as well. "That sounds great. One more question, though."

Blaze placed her hands on her hips. "Yes?"

"Is… Is Ashley okay? Just so I can sleep tonight." Roman asked.

Blaze nodded. "She looked like she's always looked; beautiful, and ready for anything. She did look a little down though. Likely because it's not been too long since the anniversary of your 'death'."

"Does she know of my survival?" Roman asked.

"No." Blaze said. "We only told five people: Sonic, Sally, Tails, Seth and Seth's girl."

Roman smiled. "Ahsoka. I might've known." Looking up, Roman said: "Okay, you and Silver set things up with Sally, while I head down to the range. Been too long since I used my blaster."

Blaze smiled. "I can imagine. Go ahead Roman. Enjoy being reunited with one of your weapons."

Roman nodded, surprising Blaze with a kiss on the forehead and exiting the room, but not before turning and playfully saying: "Make sure you wear protection. Got it?"

Blaze shook her head as she watched Roman leave, turning to Silver and saying: "That's never going to go away, is it?"

Silver shrugged. "You tell me."

* * *

 **Just to say, Roman's jokes over Blaze and Silver's intimate relationship won't end with this fic. They will continue into other fics, including humorous ones.**

 **Again, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	13. Chapter 13: Discussion

**Chapter 13: Discussion**

 _ **Elias' quarters, Castle Eggman, 6**_ _ **th**_ _ **July 3241, 7:30 am**_

Elias' eyes snapped open, as they often did, surveying his surroundings and listening out for anything that could be a threat, as he had been trained to do. But he heard nothing. Nothing save for the slow breathing of the female figure next to him. Looking over, Elias smiled as he turned to the woman and reached out, running his fingers over the bare skin of her shoulder.

The girl bristled under the feeling of his touch, and moaned gently, muttering: "Your lips will finish what your hands started."

Elias' hand left the girl's skin, as he replied: "Will they really, Cersei?"

Colonel Aryn turned to face him, smiling coyly. "They will next time we lie together." With this, she gently leaned in, kissing Elias on the lips.

Elias reciprocated the gesture, but not as passionately, as the thoughts that usually ran through his mind did so. He broke away from the contact, and sat up in bed, folding his arms.

Colonel Aryn propped herself up, some of the bed sheets slipping off of her, revealing more of her nude body to Elias. "What's wrong, Elias?"

Elias scowled. "The Ghost."

Colonel Aryn scowled as well. Elias had told her of the message the 'Ghost' had given him, and had as such, being the ranking officer while General Okada recovered, had ordered that all Imperial bases be put on high alert and readiness levels, lest they be the next target for the Ghost. Discussion had been made amongst the ranking officers of the Imperial presence here, alongside Eggman as to who the 'Ghost' was, but all it had served to do was highlight the problems with the command chains. Cersei was well aware of the jealousy and the prejudice afforded her by many other high ranking members of the Imperial Navy, most of whom were older and male. She was aware they coveted her position, and much more besides. She had done much to warn them off, including reminding them of the high esteem that Elias held her in. But still they coveted her position in the chain of command, each of them showing signs of pursuing the position she held.

Elias faced her again and placed his hands on her shoulders, saying: "Regardless of who the 'Ghost' is, we still have work to do today." Moving one hand up to her cheek, he moved another down to somewhere underneath the sheets of the bed, watching as her expression became one of shock. "But we still have plenty of time to waste until then."

Cersei smiled and pulled Elias back down into the bed with her, their shadows mirroring their actions like some erotic shadow puppet play as morning came.

* * *

 _ **A few hours later, 9:00 am**_

Elias and Aryn stepped out from the space of the former's quarters, sharing a passionate kiss before they parted.

Elias began making his way down to the council room, which also doubled as the private breakfast room for the ranking members of Eggman's government, which included himself, the Female Inquisitor, and Frederick the Cat. He wondered what discussion would be on Eggman's agenda on this day. Eggman had taken to governing Mobius remarkably quickly, ruling with an iron fist over the masses. But the resurgence of the Freedom Fighters had taken most of the mad genius' attention, and he had demanded frequent updates, which was hard for Elias and Frederick to do, since the Freedom Fighters tended to attack places at random. But Elias had noticed that the Freedom Fighters had started rather low, attacking minor bases at first, and gradually going more and more high profile with every attack. Their last strike had been at Avalon base, which was very bold. This led Elias to wonder: Where would the Freedom Fighters attack next? There were only two places they could possibly attack, and both were key parts to the Imperial machine: Artika, and Mobotropolis itself. There was also the base in Soumerca, but that wasn't as major as the other two. Elias decided either Artika or Mobotropolis were the likeliest targets. They were the most important to the Empire, Artika being the base that provided many of the supplies that arrived on Mobius every day. Elias suddenly remembered he was scheduled to head to Artika Base the following week for an inspection alongside Colonel Aryn and the Female Inquisitor. He smiled as he recalled that the Colonel's brother, now a Captain, had been transferred there. That would make Cersei's day.

This got him thinking: It was true he did care for Cersei a great deal. It was also true that she could potentially be the cause of his undoing, being as close to him as she was. He had learned from Lord Vader during his training that Jedi had perceived attachment as a pathway to the Dark Side. Elias used the Dark Side of the Force every day, so he found this teaching a problem. But he often wondered: Could attachment be a weakness of the Dark Side as well? He resolved to ask Lord Vader that the next time he spoke to the Dark Lord of the Sith.

It was with this that he found himself at the floor he needed to be on, and promptly continued his walk towards the council chambers. He had a lot to say.

* * *

 _ **A few minutes later, Castle Eggman Council Chambers, 9:30 am**_

"Grand Inquisitor. So glad you can join us." Eggman called out as Elias entered the room.

Eggman had changed since he had assumed his role as the Imperial's governor of Mobius. He was still morbidly obese, and he was still spindly limbed. He still wore red and yellow, but his attire had changed dramatically. Instead of his old attire, Eggman now wore a red military style jacket with yellow cuffs and golden buttons, and he had a wrist controller, which he used for many things. Other than that, he looked the same, except his trousers were now baggier.

Elias said nothing and simply sat in his designated seat, which was next to Frederick, who was currently engaged in a make-out session with the Female Inquisitor. Elias rolled his eyes. Frederick and the Female Inquisitor had started their 'agreement' several weeks before, when all it really was was a no strings attached relationship, a far cry from Elias' genuine relationship with Colonel Aryn.

Seated next to Eggman was another human, this one a sturdy elderly gentlemen in his mid-seventies, with thinning grey hair and ice-blue eyes. He was deathly pale, and dressed in a standard Imperial Officer's uniform, his rank plaque showing he held the rank of Admiral.

Eggman looked around at everyone harshly and turned to Frederick and said threateningly: "If you are finished canoodling with your friend, can we begin?"

Frederick broke away from the Female Inquisitor, who had a disappointed look on her face, and sat up in his seat. "Yes, we are finished Eggman. Have you something to say?"

Eggman bristled at Frederick's tone, but said nothing. Eggman was the governor of Mobius, but Frederick was dangerous in his own right. Eggman had heard the stories of what went on if Frederick wanted someone dead. And he had no intention of becoming another victim of Frederick's henchmen: Alec and Argo. He rose from his seat, his enormous girth nearly tipping the table over, and he said: "Gentlemen, ladies, we are at a pivotal point in this time of crisis. Recently, the Freedom Fighters, and this 'Ghost' that is now being mentioned every single minute by one officer or another, have each destroyed one base. The Freedom Fighters were able to destroy Avalon Base, despite our friend the Grand Inquisitor being present, and this 'Ghost', destroyed Efrika base." Eggman looked around and glared at Elias at the former. "And we still haven't been able to prevent any of these strikes from occurring. What is happening?!" Eggman demanded.

Frederick stood up and said to Eggman: "Rest assured we are exhausting every resource in our arsenal to find these dissidents, and this 'Ghost', and bring them to justice."

"Clearly not effectively enough." Eggman said, smiling at his insult, but that smile became a frightened look once Frederick fixed his glare on him. "But effective nonetheless." Eggman said, gazing fearfully at Frederick. Turning to Elias, he asked: "And what of you, Grand Inquisitor? What have you to say for yourself?"

Elias remained calm. "Well, I've been thinking, and I have a feeling that I have now analysed the Freedom Fighters' pattern."

Eggman sat forward, interested. "Have you now? And what is the Freedom Fighters' pattern?"

Elias too sat forward, eyeing Eggman intensely. "I believe the Freedom Fighters have been steadily increasing the boldness of their attacks by attacking more important targets than the targets they previously attacked. Furthermore, I realised that the attacks occur on a regular basis, normally in the space of a fortnight. Think about it: General Okada was assassinated two weeks ago, and not long later, the Freedom Fighters also destroyed Spagonia Base at the same time."

Eggman stared at Elias like he would a small turd that had not quite flushed down the toilet. Then, he smiled. "Now that I think about it, you may well be right. For two weeks before General Okada met his end, the Freedom Fighters destroyed one of our munitions factories in Soumerca. So, if the destruction of Avalon was a few days ago, as was the destruction of Efrika base, then in under a fortnight-"

"The Freedom Fighters will strike again." Elias said. "And I suspect their next target."

* * *

As the men around the table digested this information, Eggman leaned back, taking a sip from his cup of whatever it was and setting it back on the table. Looking back up at Elias, Eggman asked: "And where do you suspect their next target will be?"

"Artika Base." Elias answered.

Surprised gasps escaped the people seated at the table, as the admiral stood up.

"What you say is madness! These… Freedom Fighters; they likely neither have the strength nor the equipment to achieve such a thing!" The admiral spat.

Elias sat back and replied: "I assure you, Admiral Balor, they can achieve such a thing. And if we do not act, then they may well achieve their aim."

"It's true: The Freedom Fighters once attacked my compound and succeeded in taking my criminal empire down with it." Frederick said. "They are remarkably good at planning their strikes."

Admiral Balor huffed. "You cannot be serious. The might of our Imperial armies are far superior to whatever second rate mercenaries you had in your pocket."

Frederick smirked as he stood up as well. "Yet your Imperial armies continuously fail to prevent these strikes."

Balor's face reddened. "You dare discredit the very military you serve?"

"Correction: I serve Dr Eggman here, not you, Admiral, and I am not discrediting the brave men and women that serve the Empire. I am merely being realistic." Frederick said calmly. "Not being an over the top sycophant like I know you are."

Balor's face reddened even more. "How dare you! Have you any idea who you're talking to?! I am Admiral Tyrion Balor of the Imperial Navy, of whom the Emperor has a very high-" He never finished his sentence, as his voice faded as he felt the familiar sensation of a sharp blade against his throat.

"I don't think you have any idea who _you're_ speaking to Admiral." Frederick replied threateningly. "I am Frederick the Cat, former crime boss of this entire region, and now the head of the Imperial Security Bureau here on Mobius. And the man holding a knife to your throat is my personal assassin, Alec Devron Otranto."

"Pleased to meet you." Alec whispered menacingly into the admiral's ear.

"That will be all Alec." Frederick said.

Instantly, the blade left the admiral's throat, and Alec materialised into view of everyone, a result of the adaptive camouflage he had began using as he sheathed his sword. "Very well, Mr Frederick." Alec said as he exited the room.

Frederick returned his gaze to the admiral, saying: _"Now_ do you realise who you're speaking to?"

Cowed, Admiral Balor nodded.

"As I thought." Frederick said, sounding rather unsurprised as he sat back down.

Elias and the Female Inquisitor shared a shrug. It was no secret that Frederick had steadily become someone no-one in the room wanted as an enemy. Mostly because he had the resources and the people necessary to possibly force Eggman off the seat of government and assume governorship of Mobius himself.

Standing up, Elias said: "Might I say that there's also another thing we were supposed to be discussing?"

"And what might that be?" Admiral Balor said, making sure to avoid eye contact with Frederick.

"The identity of this new dissident: 'The Ghost'." Elias said.

A deathly silence fell over the assembled people, with Eggman saying:

"Ah yes. Him."

* * *

 _ **Later, Elias' Quarters, 11:30 am**_

The door flew open as Elias stormed into the room, tearing off his mask and throwing it against the wall. "For fuck's sake!" He snarled.

"I agree." Frederick said blankly as he entered the room, taking a seat by Elias' window and lighting up a deathstick.

Once the discussion on who the 'Ghost' had started, it had merely descended into a series of paranormal jokes from Eggman, who arrogantly believed he posed no threat, a sentiment shared by Admiral Balor, who joined in the farce that was the meeting. The only serious people about the 'Ghost' were Elias, Frederick and the Female Inquisitor. The meeting had continued until Elias had finally lost patience, igniting his lightsaber and threatening to cut down Eggman and the Admiral where they stood. He had promptly reminded Eggman who exactly had given him the opportunity to retake control of Mobius, that being him. Eggman had scoffed, saying he had only killed an old man. This had led Elias to threaten them that next time there was a meeting, he expected Eggman to stay on task. Otherwise, Elias would kill Eggman and ask Emperor Palpatine for someone more capable to assume the governorship. After that, Elias had left, along with Frederick, similarly miffed, and the Female Inquisitor.

"That went well." The Female Inquisitor said sarcastically as she leaned against a nearby wall, positioning herself so that her enviable figure was accentuated.

"That's an understatement." Elias said. "Is it me, or is Eggman so obsessed with destroying the Freedom Fighters that he doesn't care about his other enemies?"

"You tell me." Frederick said as he took a puff from his deathstick.

Elias shrugged. "I don't know."

"The answer likely is yes." The Female Inquisitor said blankly. Looking to Elias, she said: "We actually may have to follow up on your threat, now that we think about it."

"Maybe." Elias said. "But we shouldn't focus on that now. What we should focus on is the identity of the 'Ghost', and who the bastard is. _Then,_ we can look into replacing Eggman."

Frederick and the Female Inquisitor nodded, and the discussion began there and then.

* * *

 **In case you're wondering why Elias is with Cersei Aryn, I chose it because I wanted Elias to have a visible weakness, and in the final few chapters, which will come soon, we will see her become as such.**

 **Until then, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	14. Chapter 14: An Emotional Reunion 20

**Chapter 14: An Emotional Reunion 2.0**

 _ **Sonic and Sally's House, Angel Island Village, 9**_ _ **th**_ _ **July 3241, 9:45 am**_

Sally stepped out of the shower and began drying herself off with an almighty sigh. Today was the day. Today was the day she would meet Roman for the first time in two years, after spending those two years holding a strong belief he was dead. Drying herself off, she looked at herself in the mirror, as she often did. Despite all she had been through, she still looked like the 'girl next door' Sonic had always said she was. Her legs, long and shapely, led up to the sleek athletic curves of her body, which continued up to her breasts, which weren't overly large, but large enough to command the attention of any male in the room.

Turning away from the mirror, she wrapped the towel she was wearing around herself and stepped out of the bathroom, to find her clothes already laid out. They were the clothes she liked to wear when she felt the requirement to keep her head down, which was precisely the type of thing she needed at that moment in time: A black hooded leather vest jacket, a blue tank top, some tight black spacer pants, and the belongings she would be bringing, including Roman's lightsaber.

Her eyes remained fixed on Roman's lightsaber, as a haze of memories sailed through her head: That of Tails handing it to her the day Roman had 'died', saying Roman would have wanted her to have it, to the day she had first used it to cut down a Stormtrooper, to the final time she had used it, in her duel against her brother in Avalon. It was no secret she had grown attached to the weapon, and would miss it dearly. But its true owner needed it more than she would ever do. Smiling at the weapon, she pressed the ignition button, watching as the blue blade flared to life, illuminating her and the surrounding area in its ethereal blue light. Doing this had done much to relax her in the two years she had been in possession of the weapon.

"Thinking about today, huh?"

Sally turned to see Sonic standing there, still in his dressing gown watching her, arms folded. She slowly nodded. "I guess I'm nervous, Sonic. I haven't seen Roman in two years. What if he's changed during that time?"

Sonic stepped closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Sal, it'll be fine. It'll be just like when he returned to defeat the Separatists before all this started. He'll be his same old self. Maybe a little older, but still his old self."

Sally smiled. "I guess I can live with that." She said as she switched off the lightsaber.

Sonic nodded and kissed her gently, saying: "Exactly." He suddenly surprised her by removing the towel she was wearing, letting it fall to the ground. "But, since breakfast's going to take a while to cook completely, I guessed I'd spend that time up here with you." He punctuated this with another kiss, this one more passionate.

Sally giggled and dragged Sonic backward into bed. Just another morning in their lives.

* * *

 _ **At the same time…**_

Roman sighed as he pulled on the jacket he'd be wearing as he looked in the mirror: It was the exact same jacket he had worn when Elias had defeated him during the Battle of Mobotropolis; it had undergone repair of course, but it was that exact same jacket. Looking in the mirror, he could still reimagine what he had looked like when Blaze and Silver had discovered him: His clothes in tatters, a jagged, blackened slash across his chest, and a large hole in his chest. Stepping away from that, he walked over to his belt, which he slipped on, buckling on his DL-44 as he did. He felt nervous, there was little doubt about that. He was meeting one of his closest friends for the first time in two years, and during that time, she had thought him dead. Roman shrugged as he holstered his blaster pistol. Blaze and Silver had left a few minutes ago to go and pick Sally up, leaving Roman alone in the house. That left him with barely anything to do. He considered stirring up a bit of bother for the Imperial presence here, but decided against it. That was the last thing he could possibly do. He smiled as he guessed Sally would be angry at him as well. She always got angry when he did something like that, as she viewed it as recklessness on Roman's part. He nodded with a smile as he remembered that and other things about Sally. Apart from Ashley and Tails, Sally was the person he missed the most. Closing his eyes, he tried picturing Sally within the confines of his mind: Her sleek, athletic but beautiful curves, her voluminous dark auburn hair, her striking 'girl next door' good looks, the warm, blue eyes which had always seemed to see his every thought and secret, but moreover, just the sound of her voice. This and more made him smile, as he filed the mental image for later comparison with Sally now when he saw her.

Nodding at this, he finished making himself look good, and upon ensuring he had everything he figured he would need, he straightened out his clothes, grabbed something out of the refrigerator, and made his way out into the outside world. He had a lot to do.

* * *

 _ **Outskirts of Angel Island Village, 11:15 am**_

The shuttle sank to the ground floor with inconsiderate ease, the drone of its engines slowly subsiding as it found the ground.

Silver lay his head back as he said: "Another good landing from the amateur pilot."

"Don't sell yourself short, Silver." Blaze said gently, placing a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "You were brilliant. Guess those flying lessons Roman gave you paid off."

"Yeah, but don't tell him that." Silver said to Blaze. "You know how he is."

"All too well." Blaze said, remembering all the times that Roman had made jokes about her and Silver's intimate relationship. It came a relief to her that she now had a chance to temporarily get the cheeky vulpine out of her fur.

Silver looked out from the shuttle and saw several Freedom Fighters headed their way, namely Sally herself. Looking to Blaze, Silver said: "Better get down and greet them, then."

Blaze nodded agreement and pressed the button to lower the ramp, giving Silver a gentle kiss before heading down.

Silver got out of his seat and followed, striding down the ramp to find Sally waiting for them, flanked by Sonic and Tails.

"Morning, Sally." Blaze said, greeting Sally with a warm hug. "You okay?"

The deposed princess nodded. "Just a little nervous, that's all."

Blaze smiled and patted Sally again on the shoulders, saying: "There's nothing to worry about. Roman's still all that you remember him to be."

"I hope so, Blaze. I hope so." Sally said, as she felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulder.

"It'll be fine, Sally." Sonic said. "Roman's nearly died numerous times, and those didn't change him. What difference would this make?"

"He's right, Sally. Have faith. Roman's not the type to have changed dramatically after what happened." Tails said encouragingly. He suddenly remembered something, and reached behind him, saying: "For the record, could you give this to Roman for me?" With this, he pulled out a small holo and handed it to Sally. "Just a little message for Roman. From me."

Sally nodded and took it from Tails' hand, saying: "I'll give this to Roman. I promise."

Tails nodded. "Thanks." He promptly hugged Sally, saying: "Have fun seeing Roman again."

Sally nodded again. "Will do Tails." Turning to Sonic, she kissed her husband with unbound passion, breaking it to say: "I'll give your regards to Roman too, Sonic."

Sonic smiled and hugged her, saying: "Good luck, Sal."

Sally gave Sonic one last kiss before following Silver and Blaze on board, where she stepped into the cockpit with them.

"Good morning, princess, I'm Silver the Hedgehog and I'll be your pilot this fine summer morning." Silver said jokingly as he sat in the pilot seat.

Sally smiled and entered the main hold of the shuttle as the ship took off, headed for Spagonia, and Roman.

* * *

 _ **A cantina in Spagonia, at about that time…**_

Roman swallowed the last of the Corellian Whisky he was drinking just as his holoprojector started beeping, indicating an incoming call. Chuckling, he answered it, saying: "Rome here."

Blaze appeared, saying: "Hey, Roman, just a little heads-up, we are on our way, and should be linking up with you in a few hours. Be ready by then. And preferably sober."

Roman smirked, saying: "I've only had one, Blaze." as he gestured to the empty glass of Corellian Whisky.

"Make sure it's the only one, please. I don't need you getting hammered and scaring someone away, like you did with that contact of ours several months ago." Blaze said, raising an eyebrow.

Roman rolled his eyes, saying: "I'll see you guys there." With this, he switched off his holo, just as a waitress came by, a stunning Twi'lek who asked:

"Would you like a refill?" the Twi'lek asked.

Roman shook his head. "Just a water, please." Roman said, handing the waitress some credits as he did. Looking about, Roman sighed. This was going to be a long day until Sally arrived.

* * *

 _ **On Silver and Blaze's shuttle, 11:45 am**_

Blaze got out of her seat, kissing Silver on the head as she said: "I'll be with Sally."

"Where else would you be?" Silver said, smirking.

Blaze just shook her head and headed into the main hold, where she found Sally sitting by herself, still looking pensive. Walking up, Blaze sat next to the princess, asking: "Still nervous?"

Sally looked over at Blaze and nodded, saying: "I just don't know what I'm going to say to him. This isn't like anything I've had to do before."

Blaze wrapped an arm around Sally's shoulder as she replied: "Don't try and plan out how the conversation's going to start, Sally. Just let it flow the way it does. And hope for the best, of course."

Sally nodded as she said: "I could live with that." With this, the two friends continued talking, as the shuttle grew ever closer to the destination.

* * *

 _ **Later, Spagonia Park, 12:30 pm**_

Sally folded her arms as she gazed about the park she was standing in. After landing, Blaze and Silver had instructed her to make her way to the park, where she was to meet Roman. Seeing the park again made Sally sigh. She'd visited places like this numerous times on Royal Engagements with her father. She looked about to see any sign of anyone who looked precisely like Roman, but she found she couldn't. Her eyes soon fell on a large hill nearby, which had a nice little bench from which people could sit and gaze out over the entire city. The hill was that large. But furthermore, she could just spot a figure standing there alone, gazing over the vast expanse of the city.

"Roman." She said to herself softly. Turning towards the hill, she began to walk.

As she did, her nerves began to try and work their way into her, trying to dissuade her from her plan. She pushed her nerves aside, knowing that while this was an entirely new experience, it didn't mean she had to be nervous. Or completely nervous for that matter. But still, her nerves gnawed at her like a persistent parasite, telling her he could be in a bad mood, or just simply not in the mood. She remembered how Blaze had contacted her with the news of his agreement to a meeting, and had felt nervous, thinking maybe Blaze and Silver had pressured Roman into it.

With this thought, she found herself at the base of the hill, and began to walk up. She had had enough of being nervous for today.

* * *

 _ **With Roman, atop the hill…**_

 _Where is she?_ Roman wondered as he looked out over the vast expanse that was the city of Spagonia. He had changed his vest jacket to a full hooded leather jacket, and he was wearing the hood up, to hide his face. He sighed as he looked out at the city. To say the city wasn't a beautiful place would have been the lie of the century. In the two years he'd hidden here with Silver and Blaze, Roman had come to love the city, and think of it as a second home. He thought if Spagonia as such because in reality: Westside Island was his real home, the country where Mobotropolis resided, and other places dear to him. He looked to the right, where he could see Spagonia University. He remembered King Acorn once telling him that had Roman not become a Jedi, which had happened, he would have been sent to study at Spagonia University, most likely to study politics and various other things that came with being a member of the Royal Court, as his father had been.

Roman smiled at the memory of the King, just as he felt a presence he had not felt in the Force for a long while now, faint, but still approaching quickly, growing ever stronger. His smile widened at this. _Sally._

"Roman?"

Roman jumped a little at the voice, especially _that_ voice. Turning, he found himself staring into the face of the girl he had come to see.

Sally looked little different than she had when Roman had last seen her, which was the sight of her escaping as Elias had kicked him into the river. A little older perhaps, which came as no surprise to him, since she was going to turn twenty in a month or two, but other than that, she looked nothing but the same: Striking, beautiful, and still looking like she could kick his ass if she really wanted to. Her hair had grown out a little bit, but she had retained much of the style she had formerly had her hair in, but the rest, she had tied back in a ponytail, which reached down to her waist now.

Reaching back, he pulled his hood down, revealing his face to her. "Sally." He replied.

The two friends stared at each other for a while, neither speaking, until Roman finally said:

"You've changed your hair. A little bit."

Sally smiled. "Same jacket."

Roman looked down at his threads, and shook his head. "Wrong. Brand new jacket."

Both remained staring at each other, both starting to fight back tears at the sight of each other for the first time in two years.

Finally, Sally started moving towards Roman, who did the same.

Springing onto Roman, Sally embraced him fiercely, tears beginning to run down her cheeks like miniature rivers.

Roman embraced her just as tightly as she was him, his own tears beginning to fall as well. Their sobs were the only noise in the area as they just held each other, relieved to be reunited.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, at the hideout…**_

"Where are they?" Silver asked as he looked out the window. "They ought to have met up by now."

"Be patient, Silver." Blaze said as she lay back, sipping from the warm mug of coffee in her hand. "They've not seen each other in two years. Let them have some time to themselves."

Silver sighed. "Sorry. I'm just a little jittery. This has been building up to now. We finally have an opportunity to get out of the shadows."

Blaze nodded. "I know. But we have to wait for Roman and Sally to get here before we can do that."

Silver nodded, and continued looking out the window, looking out for the two reunited friends.

* * *

 _ **Back atop the hill in Spagonia Park…**_

Neither knew how long they'd been holding one another, and neither did they care. All that mattered now was that they were reunited.

Roman had since stopped crying, and merely held Sally close, listening to her sob and soak his shoulder with her joyful tears.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sally broke away, and looked up at Roman, her eyes still wet with tears, but a smile was on her face. "Roman…" She was able to say.

Roman gave her the smile he always gave his friends. "That's my name. Please don't wear it out, lest I feel the need to change it to something embarrassing, like Reginald or something."

Sally broke into a fit of laughter before hugging Roman again, feeling an incomparable feeling of joy at simply being with him again. She had sorely missed Roman's sense of humour, and had found some semblance of it when around Seth, but nothing could compare to any joke Roman could crack. It was one of the reasons she viewed him like a brother.

Roman broke away from Sally, gently wiping away her tears with his finger. "No need to cry now, Sally. We've had that moment." He said. Looking around, Roman said: "Now, what now?"

"You tell me." Sally said.

Roman's eyes narrowed. "Um, but you're the boss." He said.

Sally rolled her eyes, chuckling to herself as she did. Roman had just cracked one of his favourite jokes from way back when. "Still cracking old jokes?"

"Do you still lead the Freedom Fighters? Because last I checked, you did." Roman said wittily.

Sally shook her head in submission, realising Roman was still being as witty as one could be. Finally, she just said it: "I missed you, Rome."

"I missed you too." Roman said as he embraced Sally again, again, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. He had finally reunited with one of his close friends. Breaking away, Roman said: "We'd better go."

"I agree." Sally said, following Roman away from the area, her heart filled to the brim with joy at finally being reunited with her best friend.

* * *

 **And that's where we'll leave things until I get more chapters up. With Roman and Sally's reunion. I can probably say I could have had Ashley be the person reuniting with Roman, but then I'd have to come up with something anticlimactic and boring. I want this book to end on a positive note, unlike the last book.**

 **Until then, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	15. Chapter 15: The Freedom Fighters Prepare

**Chapter 15: The Freedom Fighters Prepare**

 _ **The Safehouse, 13:00 pm**_

Loud knocking on the door drew Silver and Blaze's attention. Both shooting up into somewhat seated positions, they looked towards the door, and then at each other, both in various stages of undress.

Silver was topless, but still in his trousers and shoes, exposing his lean but muscular frame.

Blaze was a whole different story. Nearly completely nude, her coat, the shirt she wore underneath, and her white tights lay in a pile all over the place. All she was wearing was dark pink panties, and her breasts were completely on show. Looking to Silver, Blaze said: "Answer the door please while I get dressed."

Silver nodded and headed out, throwing on his shirt as he did, opening the door to reveal Roman standing there with Sally, raising an eyebrow.

"Now I know why my call didn't go through." Roman said.

Sally looked at Roman confusedly. "What are you talking about?"

"Blaze and Silver. To say the least, their relationship is… rather intimate." Roman said, stepping in. "And I'm assuming, that Blaze, is in here" Roman said, casually pushing open the door, hearing a loud scream come from inside as he looked away:

" _ **CLOSE THE FUCKING DOOR, YOU FUCKING PERVERT!"**_ Blaze shrieked.

"Shouldn't have been undressed in the first place, Blaze." Roman replied. Looking up, he saw that she was at least decent. "And were I a pervert, I wouldn't have looked away. I was just proving a point I just made to Sally."

Blaze sighed as she pulled on her tights, followed by her shirt and coat. "You could still have done that and _not_ opened the door." She said.

"I don't see how." Roman said.

Blaze groaned as she looked at Sally. "Now you know what me and Silver have been dealing with for over two years."

Sally giggled. "Take it from me, he did it to me and Sonic all the time. But he's just ribbing you. Try and find the funny side of it, and you'll be fine. I did, and I've had many laughs since."

Blaze nodded, finding Sally's words encouraging. "Well, I'd better get lunch ready."

"Yeah. I would help, but-"

"But her cooking is terrible." Roman said bluntly. "Some say most people's cooking is cordon bleu. I say, Sally's cooking is not among those people. Her cooking should be cordoned off!"

Sally and Blaze laughed, the former saying: "How would I know you would say that?" Sally asked.

Roman shrugged. "Like you said, I'm just ribbing you." At this, he headed into the kitchen.

Sally, Blaze and Silver just followed him. They were well aware of his mannerisms at this point.

* * *

 _ **Fifteen minutes later…**_

Roman leaned back as conversation turned to the planning for the attack on Artika Base. Leaning back in, he asked: "So, any gas from our friends?"

Blaze nodded. "Apparently, the Imperials have analysed the Freedom Fighter pattern for their attacks, and they've successfully predicted your next target as Artika Base."

Roman scowled in distaste. "That'll mean more frequent patrols, and the increased likelihood of us having to do a flat out assault, which we don't have the forces nor the resources for. I think."

Sally sat forward. "The thing is, Rome, you're wrong. As well as the Freedom Fighters, we have a contingent of former Royal Army servicemen that Amy and her team managed to find during the Battle of Mobotropolis We have about a platoon of them ready. That and Seth and Ahsoka managed to reprogram an old Commando Droid left over from the Clone Wars. They've called him Crankshaft, though for whatever reason, I really don't know."

Roman smiled. "That would be a great help. Commando Droids are deadly with weapons. Program enough into them, and they'll become some of the best killing machines in the galaxy."

Silver injected himself into the conversation. "So, now that we're over what resources we have at our disposal, how about we shift conversation to something more interesting? Like say, actually planning for the attack?"

Sally nodded. "A few days ago, I had Team Rose, sans Big, do some recon on the base. We already have a plan of the base, due to some plans we managed to grab during one of our inaugural strikes." Producing a holo-disk, she said: "And they're on here. Do you have anything to put it in?"

Blaze nodded, walking out of the room and returning seconds later with a datapad. "This." She said. Setting it carefully on the table, she entered the disk in, and seconds later, the datapad flared to life, revealing a floor plan of Artika Base. It remained very much in the shape it had been during the days before the Empire took over, but now having been expanded to accommodate numerous more vehicles and troopers. Underneath the base was the reactor that powered the entire thing.

Roman pointed to the main reactor area. "I'm assuming that's where we'll blow up the whole place from?"

Sally nodded. "I say we utilise a tactic me and the Freedom Fighters have been using for quite some time: Use a few teams to distract everyone else, while a smaller team, which will be headed by myself, heads down and plants the explosives."

"Which team will I be a part of?" Roman asked. "Your team?"

Sally shook her head. "Me and my team will be sneaking down towards the main reactor to plant the explosives. Personally, I'd say you'd be better suited working alongside one of the distraction teams. Perhaps with whichever team I put Tails on."

Roman frowned. "Which team will Ashley be on?"

Sally sighed. "She's going to be on one of the distraction teams as well. But, I'm not sure how she'll react if you show up again."

Roman felt a slight pang at that. "Regardless, put her on the team I'm on. I just want to see her again."

Sally sighed before nodding. "Fine. I'll make sure to put Tails on the team too, so you have someone to back you up if necessary."

Roman nodded. "Thanks. Anything else?"

Sally shook her head. "All the distraction teams need to do is cause enough of a ruckus to keep the Imperial Forces distracted enough for the bombing team to set the charges. Then, we'll hightail it out of there, and watch the explosions, all while you and Ashley hopefully seal it all with a romantic kiss."

Roman smiled. "I like the sound of that." His face became a frown as he remembered the intel he'd gotten. Looking to Sally, Roman said: "Are you aware of the fact that-"

"That Elias is going to be there?" Sally finished for him. "Yes, I have. Apparently he's being sent over there early to oversee what measures are being taken to prevent us from successfully taking the base down. The Female Inquisitor and some Colonel called Aryn are supposed to join him on the day they were supposed to go before our plans came to light, which just so happens to be the planned date of our attack."

Roman smirked. "Then I have a feeling revenge could be in order." His voice growing more serious, he asked: "Do you have it?"

Sally, catching his meaning, reached down and took his lightsaber from her belt, handing it to him.

Roman studied his old lightsaber for a long time, before taking it from Sally and staring at it. The weapon stared back up at him, almost smiling as if to say: _Where the fuck have you been for the past two years?_ Nodding, Roman stepped out of his seat, and stared at it again, feeling the familiarity of the grip in his hand. His thumb brushed the activation button, and without thinking, he pressed it, hearing the familiar sound of the blade igniting. The blade flared to life, painting the entire room a beautiful sky blue.

* * *

Silver and Blaze stared on in amazement. They had never seen a Jedi with his lightsaber in his hand before. And now, they were looking right at one.

Roman smiled at it and swung it a few times, feeling a great joy at being reunited with it, and in turn, a great joy as he felt the Force return. He had cut himself off from it as much as he could to avoid detection, but now he was reunited with his lightsaber, the Force returned as if it had never left him. Switching off his lightsaber, he affixed the lightsaber to his belt and turned to Sally, who as well had stood up. Walking over, he embraced Sally, saying: "Thank you. For giving me back my life." Breaking away, he shrugged. "Well, most of it."

Sally giggled. "I'm guessing there's just one person left we need to reunite you with to make everything feel whole again."

Roman nodded. "Ashley…" Turning to Sally, he asked: "Speaking of Ashley, how is she? Silver and Blaze weren't exactly forthcoming when it came to it."

Sally nodded. "She's doing fine, Rome. But she misses you terribly. She said so to Tails the other day."

Roman sighed. "I'm not surprised. I've missed her too."

Sally frowned. She could see it in Roman's eyes. "Have you… recorded a message for her at all? Maybe we don't have to surprise her with your 'return from the dead'."

Roman folded his arms. "No. But I could now." Getting up, he said: "Bear with me for a few minutes. I have some recording to do."

* * *

 _ **A few minutes later…**_

Roman re-entered the room to find Sally, Blaze and Silver discussing other things, like living arrangements. Folding his arms, Roman asked: "Finally planning on moving out of this dump, huh?"

All three heads turned to face him, Sally smiling in amusement.

"I wouldn't go so far as to call this place a 'dump', Roman. It actually feels quite cosy."

"Yeah, for some retired couple. That's why I hate the place." Roman said as he produced the holo. "Here's the message for Ash. Make sure she gets it, please. And that she's alone."

Sally took the holo and said: "I'll give this to Ash. I promise." Suddenly remembering, she took a holo from her pouch and handed it to Roman. "A little something from Tails. He wanted to come with me, but… Us two in one place would draw too much unwanted attention. So he gave me this."

Roman smiled and said: "Thanks. Tell Tails I miss him. And that he's got a major series of pranks coming his way."

Sally laughed. "I will." Getting out of her seat, she said: "I'd better be going. The Freedom Fighters won't lead themselves, you know."

Roman smirked. "I know." Stepping closer, he embraced Sally. "Thanks for coming, Sally. Give everyone that knows of my survival my regards, and that I'll see them in Artika."

Sally returned the embrace and replied: "You bet, Rome." Breaking the hug, Sally turned to Silver and Blaze, asking: "So, are we leaving? Or are we staying?"

Silver and Blaze nodded, getting up, as they had been ready to leave for some time. "Okay. Let's go."

Sally nodded and embraced Roman one final time before following Blaze and Silver out of the house, waving to Roman as she exited the house.

Roman waited for them to leave before sitting back down at the table, placing the holo Sally had given him onto the table, and pressing the button to activate it, rapidly smiling as the visage of his close friend and Jedi Apprentice appeared.

"Hey, Roman." Tails said. In the recording, he was sitting cross-legged somewhere, likely his bedroom. "I hope this finds you in good spirits, which you probably are after hearing from me for so long." He paused for a few seconds as he wiped away what were likely tears as he said: "Sorry. I'm just so glad you're alive. When I saw Elias cut you down, it felt like part of my heart had been surgically cut from me while I was still awake and didn't have anaesthetic. You were a brother to me, Roman. And you still are. But when that happened, part of my world collapsed. I legitimately thought you were dead."

Roman's fists clenched as he fought back tears, mentally kicking himself for putting Tails through what he had with his death.

Tails continued: "The first few months after…" Tails shuddered, as if remembering some hell he couldn't forget. "I'll confess. I gave up being a Jedi. I gave up the Force. Because I knew that my dreams had died with you, supposedly. Moreover, I just kept having nightmares about that night. The night you died. And more often than not, I would try my best to stay awake, so I wouldn't wake up screaming the next day."

Roman sighed as he waited for Tails to continue.

"I still have that same nightmare." Tails confessed. "But thankfully, not as frequently." He waited a few seconds before he finally said: "But now I know that you're out there, still alive, I can't help but look forward to seeing you again. Like I said, you're like my brother, Rome. Maybe even more so than Sonic."

Roman sat back, smiling as he finally allowed tears to run down his cheeks.

"But enough of that. I'm hearing that you could be joining us for our next raid." Tails said. Smiling, the kit said: "I really hope that's the case. Because then, I'll ask to be put on the team you're on. Same with Ashley. You two deserve to be together right off the bat."

Roman's smile widened as Tails finally finished:

"But until then, I'll see you soon." Tails said. "And one more thing, Rome: Try not to die this time." AT this, Tails ended the recording.

Roman burst out laughing at Tails' tasteful joke, muttering: "You worry about yourself, little buddy." Taking the holo, he got up and headed to his room, his heart full.

* * *

 _ **A few hours later, Angel Island Village, 15:30 pm**_

The ramp lowered as Sally hugged Silver and Blaze. "Thanks, guys. We'll see you in Artika."

"See you in Artika, Sally." Blaze said.

Sally smiled and headed down the ramp, finding several Freedom Fighters waiting for her.

"Enjoy your meeting with 'The Ghost'?" Sonic asked, making sure to say 'The Ghost', as Ashley was present.

Sally nodded, kissing Sonic. "I did. And Silver and Blaze will join us and him on the Artika base strike. The Ghost will be assigned to Tails and Ashley's team."

Sonic looked at her questioningly, while Ashley smiled.

"Fantastic. I've been looking forward to meeting 'The Ghost'." Ashley said.

Sally said: "Well, I'm sure that once I say what I have to tell you, you'll be looking forward to meeting 'The Ghost' even more."

Ashley's eyes narrowed, despite the answer gnawing at the back of her mind. "What do you mean?"

Sally smiled and said: "Follow me." At this, she walked off towards her house, Ashley following suspiciously behind.

Sonic turned to Tails, who had also been present, and asked: "What is she thinking?"

"Don't ask me." Tails said. "But I feel it's about time she knew."

* * *

 _ **Sally and Sonic's house, with Sally and Ashley…**_

Sally opened the door and let Ashley pass through first, following Ashley inside and closing the door, making sure to lock it.

"So what's this all about, Sally?" Ashley asked. Her cheerful expression had faded to one of a business like scowl.

Sally sighed and said: "You might want to sit down for this. This is going to be a hell of a shock."

Ashley turned and entered the kitchen, followed by Sally, and sat down, facing Sally. "Okay, go."

Sally sighed. "The Ghost… Have you… Any suspicions on who he may be?"

Ashley sat back, folding her arms. "Last I checked, all I could figure was that he was a Jedi Elias thought he had killed, and was on Mobius to take his revenge."

Sally nodded. "You're right. It is a Jedi. But not who you're expecting it to be."

Ashley frowned. "That doesn't make any-" Suddenly, the answer hit her, and she almost fell off her chair. She barely managed to catch herself, and she began taking deep breaths. Looking up, she said: "You can't possibly mean…"

Sally nodded. "I do. Roman's alive. He's the Ghost."

* * *

Ashley sat forward, and she began to shake, her mind working on the possibilities of Roman's survival. Shaking her head, she asked: "How? How could he have survived? From what I saw, the fall should have killed him. If his wounds hadn't done it already."

Sally nodded and produced the holo Roman had given her. "Then maybe this might shed some light on what I can't. And don't worry. I'm here."

Ashley swallowed sharply and sheepishly took the holo from Sally, shaking as she finally pressed the button. What she saw next nearly drove her to tears.

"Hey, Ashley." Roman said. He was currently standing up, arms on his hips. From his tone of voice, he was smiling. "I hope I haven't shocked you too bad by revealing I'm alive. But right now, that's not important. What's important is explaining to you how the fuck I survived something I shouldn't. Hopefully, it's to your liking, otherwise I am officially in for one of the biggest bitch-slaps I will ever receive."

Ashley burst into a fit of the giggles, her spirits lifting at the recollection of Roman's impeccable sense of humour.

"Okay…" Roman said on the holo. "Here goes…" Taking a deep breath, he began: "Basically, the stab would have killed me, but more on that later. As for the slash across my chest, it thankfully only cut through one of my lungs. And then there's the forty-foot drop I took into the water. Now thankfully, I was sort of still conscious at that point, though how I was conscious after that, I do not know, so I was able to use the Force to cushion my fall. But my body didn't account for the freezing temperature of the water, and the speed at which it was going at, which pretty much sent me into the nearest rock, which knocked me the fuck out." Roman chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "I swear I still have a scar from that."

Ashley smiled at that, making a mental note to help Roman search for said scar.

"But on with the story: Bottom line is; Blaze and Silver found me still alive, but barely. They said a few days ago that a few more minutes, and they'd have been too late. I would be dead, and would not be explaining how I am not a rotting corpse on some riverbank by now."

Ashley burst out laughing. Roman had always managed to make something so serious seem amusing.

"And now the hard part:" Roman said, sighing. "Why I was forced to stay away for so long, instead of coming back where I belonged." Folding his arms, he said: "To be frank, you can blame Silver and Blaze. Basically, they told me that the longer the Empire and Elias thought I was dead, the more beneficial it would be for me." Looking to the side, as if silently accusing someone, he said: "But I never believed in that bullshit. Because all I was doing was creating more problems for you and the Freedom Fighters. And believe me, I hated that. Because I did not want that for the Freedom Fighters, the only family I've ever truly had. And I especially did not want that for you." Roman bowed his head. "Because whenever I went on a mission, the only thing on my mind besides that mission, was you."

Ashley's smile widened, as tears of joy began brimming in her eyes.

Roman wasn't finished. Tapping his heart, Roman continued: "And whenever a thought of you entered my mind; be it a memory, an image, or otherwise, my heart just started beating harder, and I felt even more motivated to complete the mission I was on. The fact of the matter is, I've never stopped loving you. Thoughts of you were the only light or happiness I've had for these two years, aside from teasing Silver and Blaze about their intimate relationship." Roman sighed as he folded his arms again. "But now, ever since I resumed contact with the Freedom Fighters, all I'm looking forward to is seeing you again." Roman chuckled as he said: "And you're probably thinking: _This is SO corny,_ but it's the truth."

Ashley burst out laughing at his remark, especially how he had said 'this is so corny'. It had been in an impression of her, which she found flattering.

"Thankfully, with the onset of the attack on Artika, We'll be seeing each other soon enough." Roman folded his arms as he said the three little words Ashley had been dying to hear him say: "I love you."

Tears now were freely falling down Ashley's face as she heard him say so.

Roman sighed and said: "Well, this is Roman signing off. I'll see you in Artika. Where all this began." At this, Roman switched off the holo, and ended the recording.

* * *

Ashley stared at the holo for what seemed like an eternity, feeling like her emotions were all in a raging river, similar to the one Roman had fallen into. But what stood out was something she had not felt for two years:

Love.

It began fuelling her heart in an indescribable manner, and she suddenly felt like the aching hole Roman's 'death' had left in her heart had finally sealed up with the knowledge that he had survived, and was currently awaiting their reunion. Looking up to Sally, she rose from the chair, and embraced Sally, saying: "Thank you." Breaking away, Ashley added: "Thanks to you, I feel whole again."

Sally nodded, hugging Ashley again. "I'm glad I was able to help. But one small thing; Don't tell anyone else about this. People that know aside from myself are Sonic, Seth, Tails and Ahsoka. The others are completely in the dark about Roman being the Ghost."

Ashley smiled, nodded and replied: "Well, I'd better get home. I have a few things to do before dinner." At this, she turned, grabbed the holo, and walked out of the house, her heart at last full after so long.

Sally watched her friend leave, smiling at the fact she was finally able to give Ashley something to be happy about.

* * *

 **Still building to the climax of the fic. The next chapter will do the same, and the chapters after next will all be the final act of this fanfic. And it will end with a bang... literally.**

 **Moving along, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	16. Chapter 16: Imperial Preparation

**Chapter 16: Imperial Preparation**

 _ **Artika Imperial Military Base, 19:30 pm**_

Commander Varys readjusted his uniform as he looked himself over, checking that everything on his uniform was correct to the guidelines of regulation, and taking a deep breath. He did this as he was well aware of who was coming today: The Grand Inquisitor.

Varys had been regarding this day with the same anxiety he had regarded many days like this. Whenever a high ranking Imperial like the Grand Inquisitor came to oversee the goings on at Artika Base, of which he was the commander, they had always managed to find something wrong. And he was determined for that not to happen today. Especially as he was aware of the Grand Inquisitor's tendency to kill those that disappointed him. And Commander Varys was not about to let himself become the next victim of the Grand Inquisitor's wrath.

Commander Varys was a stout man of about thirty-five years of age, fit, and well-muscled, but with thinning black hair, and piercing pale blue eyes. His bottom jaw was framed with a thick black goatee. A black Imperial Officer's uniform adorned his well-built body, and a standard hat covered the thinning hair on his head. Taking a deep breath, he made to grab his blaster, but was startled by the sound of a voice:

"Commander?"

Varys turned to see the sight of a nervous young man in his very early twenties, recognising the young man as a recently transferred survivor of the Efrika base attack, Lieutenant Jax Aryn. "What is it, boy?" He said, his voice a deep, booming tenor.

Lieutenant Aryn shuddered and said: "The Grand Inquisitor's shuttle approaches. Ten minutes out. Shall I prepare the welcoming party?"

Varys nodded and said: "Gratitude for informing me. Go ahead and get a welcoming party ready. I shall join you presently."

The lieutenant nodded and headed out of the room, leaving Commander Varys alone again.

Varys rose to his full height, an imposing six-foot four inches, and looked over himself in the mirror once more. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Varys turned and walked out of his quarters, his footsteps echoing in the long corridors of the base, headed to the hangar of the base, where he would meet the Grand Inquisitor, and whosoever came with him.

As he walked, Varys thought over all he had heard of the Grand Inquisitor, including the rumours of his relationship with Colonel Aryn, one of the highest ranking Imperials. He decided to keep quiet about any of the things he had heard. Mentioning them would likely end with his death.

* * *

 _ **Artika Base Hangar, 19:45 pm**_

Varys entered the hangar to find a platoon of Stormtroopers, Lieutenant Aryn, and several other officers flanking either side of the landing bay. Hurriedly walking along the floor, Varys walked through the column of Stormtroopers and Officers, standing at their head, just as a Lambda Class Shuttle entered the hangar, the drone of its engines almost deafening to the assembled party standing before it as it landed.

As soon as the shuttle landed, the ramp lowered, and out strode the Grand Inquisitor.

Elias studied the surrounding area before stepping closer to Comamnder Varys. "I assume by your place at the head of the column that you are the Commander of the base?"

Varys nodded, saluting as he did. "Commander Theon Varys reporting for duty sir."

Elias waved his hand. "At ease, Commander." Stepping forward, he asked: "How goes the preparations for the impending Freedom Fighter strike?"

Varys sweat dropped. "Unfortunately, our communications were damaged in a blizzard a few days ago, when your message came through, so we were unable to make anything of it. It was only after we had repaired the damage that we had sustained that we were able to hear the communique and its instructions. So unfortunately, we are slightly behind schedule."

Elias remained silent, as if deep in thought.

Varys suddenly stiffened, in order to stem the fearful shudder that went through him. He suspected what would happen next. But what did happen next surprised him.

Elias chuckled and said: Funny. Reminds me of the first time I came to this putrid planet. The communications happened to be under maintenance at the time." Suddenly, without warning, his lightsaber appeared from out of nowhere, and as he had done with his father years before, he drove it into Commander Varys' chest.

Varys doubled over as his face fell into one of shock, and then scrunched up into a grimace of pain as he felt Elias jerk his lightsaber free. Falling to his knees, Varys thought of his wife and children at home, praying they would get along okay with him, as he suddenly felt a pain in his neck, and everything went black.

Elias looked down at the now headless corpse of Commander Varys, and turned to the nearest Captain he saw. "You!"

The captain Elias had pointed at, a young man in his early thirties, fearfully stepped forward and replied: "Yes?"

"What's your name?" Elias demanded.

"Uhhh, Stark, sir. Captain Joffrey Stark." The captain replied again in a scared tone.

Elias reached down and yanked the rank plaque from Varys' tunic and handed it to Captain Stark. "Congratulations. You've just been promoted." He said, shoving the plaque into Stark's hands. "Now get back on schedule. I expect an improvement, no matter how much, by the time I return. Otherwise I'll find someone more capable."

Stark nodded, but asked: "Where are you going exactly?"

"The ruins of the old prison that once stood not far from here." Elias said. "I want to see how it's aged over the two years."

Stark nodded and set off, with the entourage he had arranged, only for Elias to call out:

"Lieutenant Aryn!"

The lieutenant stopped, turned and faced the Grand Inquisitor, saluting. "Yes sir?"

Elias motioned with his finger. "Come here. I want at least someone other than some Stormtroopers accompanying me." Turning to some nearby attendants, Elias said: "And someone get rid of the Commander's body!"

As everyone nearby rushed to comply, Elias turned to Lieutenant Aryn and said: "Come. We have something to see."

* * *

 _ **Ruins of Artika G.U.N Maximum Security Prison, 20:15 pm**_

The ramp lowered as Elias and Lieutenant Aryn exited the troop transport they had taken to the ruin, flanked by four Snowtroopers that followed them out of the transport.

The lieutenant stared out at the ruined prison, turning to Elias and asking: "What is it?"

"The ruins of Artika Prison." Elias said. "The site for the first of our victories in the Imperial-Mobian War, and the site where I slew the Jedi Cain Roth."

Realisation dawned on Lieutenant Aryn's face. "I never knew it was this close to the base."

"Well, now you do." Elias said with a smirk underneath his mask. "Follow me."

"You mean… We're going inside?" the lieutenant asked.

Elias nodded. "Is there a problem?"

Jax nodded. "The Commander used to say that the prison was haunted. Haunted by the ghosts of those that formerly inhabited it."

Elias scoffed. "Ignore them. They are the superstitions of a dead man." At this, the Grand Inquisitor headed inside, followed by a very hesitant Lieutenant Aryn, and even more scared Snowtroopers.

The first thing Elias felt when he entered the ruin was a stronger sense of the Dark Side. It had manifested itself in this place, a result of the dark events that had led to its destruction. Elias recalled what had happened according to the report he had been given by the Female Inquisitor, who had supervised what had transpired here after the Battle of Mobotropolis:

She had led a platoon of troopers inside the prison to search for anyone else that still remained, and had simply executed them in cold blood. Frederick the Cat, who had also been present, had told Elias that the screams of the dying had echoed throughout the prison.

Elias surveyed the area, listening to the sounds.

Over the sounds of the small blizzard that was blowing through the area, there were ghostly sounds of screams and cries for some higher power to grant them salvation, along with other noises, those of battle.

Lieutenant Jax looked to the Grand Inquisitor and said; "Now do you see why Commander Varys said this place was haunted?" He jumped at the sound of screaming, turning to see the Snowtroopers accompanying them running out of the area. "Cowards!" He shouted. "Get back here by order of the-"

Elias held out a silencing hand. "Never mind them, Lieutenant. I will have them dealt with presently." He suddenly felt a familiar presence, and turned to see the ghostly visage of the Jedi he had slain. "Cain Roth. It's been a long time."

Lieutenant Aryn's eyes narrowed and he turned also, seeing the ghost and jumping behind the Grand Inquisitor.

Roth's ghost did not move, instead saying: "A long time indeed." His voice sounded now like it was echoing, even more booming then it had been when the Jedi Master had been alive.

Elias stepped closer and folded his arms. "So this is where you rest now, is it?"

"Where else? Ye killed me here, Elias. And one of my wishes when I died was for my body to be burnt here, which is what Roman and the Freedom Fighters did." Roth's spirit replied.

Elias's face curled into a snarl. "Do not speak my name. Especially in front of one of my junior officers."

"How can ye stop me?" Roth taunted. "I'm already dead. And now, I'm more powerful than ye could possibly imagine."

Elias scowled and said: "But you can't harm me. So why are you appearing to me now?"

"To warn ye." Roth replied gravely. "Do ye believe in ghosts?"

Elias shook his head. "I never will. Even with one standing in front of me right now."

Roth's Force Ghost smiled. "Well, the one they call 'The Ghost' is coming. And like they said; Once ye find out who they are, yer going to bloody well wish they were a ghost." With this, Roth's spirit disappeared.

Elias turned to the cowering Lieutenant Aryn with a snarl: "We're done here."

* * *

 _ **Back at Artika Base, 20:50 pm…**_

Elias and the lieutenant rapidly exited the transport, but not before the former had pinned the latter against the wall, lightsaber at the lieutenant's throat. "Just so we are clear: If you address me as anything other than sir or Grand Inquisitor, regardless of who your family ties are, I will kill you. Understood?"

Lieutenant Aryn nodded his head, already shaken from what he had seen at the ruins of the prison.

Releasing him, Elias regarded him coldly. "Excellent. As a reward for your promise to remain silent about my true identity, I am promoting you to captain. I shall inform Commander Stark of the promotion, and a new uniform will be given to you presently. Dismissed, C _aptain Aryn."_ Saying the last two words like a threat, Elias stepped out of the transport, and headed for the exit, where to his surprise, Commander Stark was already waiting.

"Grand Inquisitor." Stark said, saluting Elias as he did.

"Report." Elias demanded.

"I've already set about setting more men aside for the defences, and with luck, we should be on schedule by first thing tomorrow." Commander Stark said.

"Excellent." Elias said, turning to face Commander Stark. "But as another tally, I've promoted Lieutenant Aryn to captain. Ensure he receives his new uniform and rank badge soon. I expect him to be wearing them by tomorrow."

Stark sweat dropped. "Y-Yes sir. I'll make the arrangements right away."

"See to it that you do, Commander. Now get down to it." Elias said, increasing his walking speed and leaving Commander Stark alone.

As he walked, Elias became increasingly aware of the increased measures that were being put into place by Commander Stark; including increased patrols, and a heightened atmosphere of alertness, as if the air was holding its breath, waiting for something cataclysmic to happen. With this and other thoughts on his mind, Elias continued towards his designated quarters. He had a call to make.

* * *

 _ **A short time later, Elias' quarters…**_

"You gave him a promotion?" Cersei said in surprise via hologram. Elias had just informed her of her cousin's new rank.

"I did. Mainly as a bribe to ensure his silence, and to fill up a… unfortunate vacancy." Elias replied.

Colonel Aryn folded her arms. "You didn't kill his predecessor, did you?"

Elias shook his head. "No. It was the base commander I killed. Your cousin's predecessor has now assumed the rank of base commander."

"Ah." Cersei said. "That explains things."

"Simply put, we are behind schedule. Courtesy of the… audacious weather here in Artika." Elias remarked. "I killed the base commander before our current one because he had not deigned to inform us about things before my arrival, so he told me to my face. I decided to be merciful and make his end quick. You know I prefer taking my time."

"All too well." Colonel Aryn replied, remembering a few times she had witnessed Elias torture someone to death. "Anything else?"

Elias shook his head. "Not that I know of."

Cersei folded her arms. "But just so you know, a new Inquisitor has arrived, as per orders from Doctor Eggman."

Elias' eyes narrowed. "Why on Mobius did he do that?"

"I assume paranoia." Cersei said. "You know how he is sometimes."

"Indeed." Elias said. "Is this new Inquisitor being sent to accompany you and the Second Sister?"

"You mean the Female Inquisitor?" Cersei asked. "Yes, he is. As is Alec Devron Otranto. Frederick decided to send Alec along as his representative."

Elias nodded. "Good to know. Does this new Inquisitor have a name?"

"He calls himself the Third Brother." Cersei said with some distaste.

Elias scowled. The Third Brother had formerly been a member of the Togruta Royal Court on the Togruta homeworld of Shili, and had the attitude to match. The man was so full of himself, it was almost like he thought he was in charge, when his superior was Elias himself. Looking to the Colonel, Elias said: "Instruct the Second Sister to show him the ropes around here. And that if he tries throwing his weight around, she has my permission to bring him down to size. With force if she needs to."

Cersei nodded. "Yes, E- Grand Inquisitor." She said as the holographic visage of her faded into nothingness.

Elias sat there in silence, thinking awhile. With the impending attack from the Freedom Fighters looming, and the impending arrival of his allies, that was all he could do.

* * *

 **And thus, there is the set-up for the climax done. The following chapters will be different sequences of the attack on Artika Prison, and the finale will be to say the least... Explosive.**

 **So, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES PLEASE!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock 14**


	17. Chapter 17: An Emotional Reunion 30

**Chapter 17: An Emotional Reunion 3.0**

 _ **Angel Island Village, 17**_ _ **th**_ _ **July 3241, 19:30 pm**_

Sally stepped into the main square of the village to find every Freedom Fighter there, ready for combat. She had mandated that every Freedom Fighter was to be on this mission, and as a result, everyone stood ready.

Sonic stood a little away from her, wearing his combat attire, and with a grim expression on his face, something the princess found intimidating.

Tails was next to Seth, Shatter and Tusk, all dressed for combat. Tails was wearing his brand new armour, complete with the helmet Rotor had fashioned for him. Seth and the clones were wearing their armour.

Also present was Ashley, dressed in her normal mission attire, but armed to the teeth. Hanging from her shoulders in holsters were dual DL-18 Blaster Pistols, and slung across her shoulder was a DC-15S Blaster Carbine. Sheathed on her right hip was her combat knife, and on her right was a sabre made of Cortosis Alloy. She had been taking lessons from Antoine for the past two years, in case she ever needed to be able to use a sword. Her face was grim, but with the ghost of an anticipating smile, knowing that she would soon see Roman again.

Bunnie and Antoine were closest to the entrance, to Sally's left, each in their combat attire. Antoine's sword hung at his side. Bunnie caught Sally's gaze and flashed a smile at her friend, one Sally returned.

Team Rose stood closest to the centre of the area, coupled with a new member, a female wolf in her mid-to-late twenties with green eyes.

Sally smiled. That was Sasha the Wolf, one of the survivors Team Rose had rescued from Mobotropolis during the battle. Two years had shaped the young mother into a hardened warrior.

Amy Rose herself was no different. At seventeen years of age, Amy cut a figure rivalling that of Sally's or Ashley's, and even Rouge. She was garbed in the same tight black jumpsuit many of the other female members save for Bunnie and Shade were garbed in. Her famous hammer was in her hand, held like a staff, coupled with the E-11 Blaster Rifle holstered on her left hip.

The Chaotix weren't too far away, all of them dressed for combat, as well. Knuckles stood at their head, adjusting the tightness of his gloves. His gaze swept the area, even as the other Chaotix, remained silent, for once.

Team Dark stood farthest away from the centre, but no less ready. Shadow stood with his arms firmly folded, staring grimly at Sally, as he often did, while Rouge stood ready, armed and looking as voluptuous as ever.

Joining them was a familiar robot, a former servant of Eggman: Omega. The red and yellow robot towered over the other Team Dark members, ready and optimised for combat.

Sally regarded everyone present with a smile, saying: "Today marks the day we strike our hardest blow against the Empire to date. Artika Base is our target. Most of you remember it as the place from which the Empire started their subjugation of this planet and the peoples populating it. I certainly do." She eyed everyone in the room clearly as she continued: "The Empire know we're coming. Of that I have no doubt. They will have put measures in place that would stop us achieving our aims. Of that I have little doubt either. But what they don't know, is that we are not alone in this venture. Silver and Blaze will be joining us on this mission, alongside the agent of so much Imperial speculation: The Ghost."

Everyone nodded.

Sally continued: "Most of you don't know the identity of 'The Ghost', and for good reason. He will not be a ghost for much longer, that much I assure you. And once the Empire find out who he is, they will wish he remained a ghost." Sally paused for effect before concluding: "I can't guarantee everyone will walk home tonight. But what I _can_ guarantee is this: Artika Base _will_ fall, and with it, we will _make the Empire tremble!"_

Raucous cheers followed Sally's statement, and she smiled. It was time to really set things off.

* * *

 _ **In Spagonia, Silver and Blaze's safehouse, at the same time…**_

Blaze placed one more thing into the box she had on the table as she heard the loud, familiar sound of Roman walking in.

"You ready?" Roman asked his friend. He was dressed in the armour Blaze and Silver had had fashioned for him, and he was armed to the teeth. His lightsaber hung from his left hip, and his DL-44 and combat knife hung on his right. Slung across his back appeared to be his sniper, and he appeared to have some form of Bowie Knife also strapped to his back. Various forms of explosives hung from his belt, and another thing slung across his back was a small bag, containing medical supplies and other necessities.

Blaze nodded. "For the mission? Yes. For getting out of here? No." She had changed from her usual purple and dark pink attire into black combat gear, namely similar armour to his, but more in line with the appearance of a female. The armour sat tight against her slender frame, accentuating the finer parts of her body. No weapons could be seen on her, as she didn't need weapons. Her powers were her weapons.

Roman nodded and called out: _"Silver!_ You ready for the mission?"

"Yeah." Silver said as he entered the room. He was dressed more simply than Roman or Blaze, having opted for a black sleeveless shirt and combat trousers. He too did not have any weapons about his person. Aside from his Psychokinetic power.

Blaze finished packing the box she had been packing, and turned to face Roman and Silver, who were looking at her expectantly. "You know what? We can come back here later to get everything. We have a mission to get on with."

"My thoughts exactly." Roman said, folding his arms. "So are we leaving, or not?"

Blaze nodded. "We're leaving."

Roman smiled and walked out, saying: "Freedom Fighters, here I come."

Blaze and Silver smiled at one another before following him. Tonight, blood would be spilt.

* * *

 _ **Later, Empire's Bane and The Emerald, 20:15 pm**_

The doors opened as Sally entered the cockpit of the Empire's Bane, finding Ahsoka and Seth at the helm, with Sonic and Tails on the passenger seats. Leaning against the doorway, Sally asked Ahsoka: "What's our status?"

"E.T.A, two hours, Sally." The pregnant Togruta Jedi replied. "We just got word from Silver and Blaze. They're on their way also, with Roman."

"You mean, 'The Ghost'." Seth said. "I'm still not going to believe it's Roman until I see him in person."

Sally made to protest, but Ahsoka waved her off.

Tails turned to Sally and said: "Where are we rendezvousing with them anyway?"

"The ruins of Artika Prison. The area's still standing." Sally said. "That'll be our staging area, and our rendez-vous point after the strike, or in the event of the strike failing."

"Sounds like an idea." Seth said. With a hint of mourning, he said: "I've wanted to see the place for a good while now."

"Well, now you'll get your chance, Seth." Ahsoka said, placing a hand on her boyfriend's knee, smiling as she did.

Seth returned the smile, just as the comms came up with Shade's voice:

"Empire's Bane, how're things holding up in that tin-can?"

Seth smirked as he replied: "Everything's fine in this 'tin can', Emerald. How're things in your cheap Twilight knockoff?"

Ahsoka chuckled at this, remembering the ship she had spent so much time on.

Shade was silent. "I don't know about that, but things are fine on the ship as well. Most of our passengers are trying to catch a few winks before the mission. I suggest your passengers do the same."

"Most of them are." Ahsoka replied. "We'll see when we land."

"Sure." Shade replied as the comm cut. Turning to Tails, Ahsoka asked: "Would you be so kind as to check on our passengers in the hold? Make sure everything's okay."

Tails nodded. "On it." At this, he got up and headed out of the cockpit, allowing Sally to sit opposite Sonic.

"Everything okay, Sonic?" Sally asked. "You're looking slightly nervous."

Sonic looked up and shrugged. "I guess I am. This is going to be a tough mission Sally. Tougher than any we've done before, even with Eggman. I… I guess I'm just scared that someone we care about isn't going to walk away alive."

Sally smiled and took Sonic by the cheek. "I can see where you're coming from Sonic. But that was because we had to account for the unexpected variable of Elias being there. While now, we know that he's going to be there. And a certain someone'll be there as well." Kissing Sonic gently, Sally said: "So we currently have nothing to worry about."

Sonic nodded hesitantly and kissed Sally gently. "I hope so, Sal. I hope so."

* * *

 _ **Empire's Bane Cargo Hold…**_

Sliding down the ladder, Tails' feet met the floor of the hold with a semi-loud bang, startling Ashley, who was sitting nearby:

"Chaos, Tails!" Ashley silently exclaimed. "You startled me!"

"Not my fault." Tails said with a deadpan tone. "How're things down here? Ahsoka's curious."

Ashley shrugged. "They're fine. Most of us are asleep anyway. I don't blame them; tonight is likely going to be one of the longest ever."

Tails sat down next to the stunning feline and asked: "Nervous?"

"About what?" Ashley asked.

Tails mouthed the answer: "Roman."

Ashley nodded understanding and replied: "Honestly, I'm not. From what I saw in the recording he gave me, there's nothing to worry about."

Tails nodded. "Good to know. So I'd say you're not nervous, but excited. Is that it?"

Ashley nodded. "I just want him back, Tails. I want him in my arms."

Tails smiled gently. "Well, in two hours, you'll get your chance." He replied, placing a hand on Ashley's shoulder. Looking over to see some of Team Rose nearby, he scooted over, making sure to avoid disturbing Cream, who was currently asleep on Amy's lap. "Everyone okay?" He whispered.

Amy Rose nodded. "Just nervous. This is our biggest op yet, and… I'm just scared someone won't walk out alive." She said the last part especially quietly.

Tails sighed and folded his arms. "Relax, Amy. Remember, you'll have me and Ashley on the team, and the Ghost. So I think you'll forgive me for saying we're in good hands."

Amy's eyes narrowed. "Just who is this 'Ghost' that everyone is talking about?"

Tails smiled and tapped the side of his nose, a wry grin crossing his visage. "You'll find out when we see him."

Amy rolled her eyes and returned to gazing at the sleeping Cream.

Tails patted Amy on the shoulder and said: "We'll be fine, Ames. I swear." At this, he continued to check around the hold, ensuring everyone was okay.

* * *

 _ **Silver and Blaze's stolen shuttle, at the same time…**_

Blaze stepped into the cargo hold of the shuttle to find Roman simply lying on one of the sitting areas, looking to be asleep. She smiled at this, glad to see that Roman had taken her earlier advice to get some sleep before the mission. He had advised she do the same, but she had replied that someone had to keep Silver in check. She turned to return to the cockpit, but she heard a low voice say:

"You could say something, you know."

She turned to see Roman, still lying on the bench, but with his head now turned towards her and one chocolate coloured eye staring at her. "Sorry. I thought you were asleep."

"I was: Until you opened the damn door." Roman replied, sitting up. "What's our E.T.A, anyways? I'm itching for a fight."

Blaze did a quick calculation, and replied: "About an hour and a half. Until then, I only suggest you catch as much sleep as you can. Long night ahead." At this, she again made to return, until Roman's voice drew her attention again:

"You're nervous." He said.

Blaze turned again. "What makes you think that?"

"It's not what I think, it's what I can sense through the Force." Roman replied. "Nervousness… It's coming off of you like the smell of shit in a sewer."

Blaze folded her arms. "You're right. I am nervous. Because…"

"Because it's your first time dealing with such a situation?" Roman asked.

Blaze hesitantly nodded. "Yes. It is."

Roman nodded, and suddenly stood, walking over and taking Blaze by the shoulders. "I understand your concerns completely, Blaze. But honestly, you want to know something?"

"What?" Blaze asked.

Roman swallowed. "I'm more afraid then you or Silver are right now."

Blaze blinked. "How come?"

"Because I know what the Empire can do. And what they'll have in store if we're captured." Roman confessed.

Blaze nodded understanding "I can imagine."

Releasing Blaze's shoulders, Roman said: "My advice is, just trust the people you're with. Because in the end, that's why we fight. For the people next to us. Not because we want to survive. But because no-one gets left behind."

Blaze frowned. "How are you so cool with that? Is it because of your experiences in the Clone Wars?"

Roman chuckled. "Now you're making me feel old. Barely into my twenties, and you're calling me old, basically."

Blaze cracked a smile. "It'll happen eventually, Roman."

"True." Roman said. "But enough on the far future for now. Let's focus on what's soon to happen in the near future: The Freedom Fighters' reunion."

Blaze nodded. "I can guess by your tone you're excited?"

Roman nodded too. "I've been in the shadows too long, Blaze. It's time to step out of that, and give the Empire the biggest 'fuck you' they've had since they came to power here on Mobius."

Blaze's smile widened. "Glad you're so confident. I thought you were scared of what could happen."

"It hasn't happened yet, Blaze." Roman said, folding his arms. "And until it does, I'll still be afraid, but my confidence is still high. We can pull this off, Blaze. We can, we have, and we will again, show the Empire that their subjugation of Mobius will only be complete when we're dead."

Blaze nodded again, smile widened considerably. Turning to head into the cockpit, she said: "Anyways, you should get some sleep. Like I said, long night ahead." At this, she headed into the cockpit.

Roman nodded and returned to where he had been lying before Blaze had come in, lying down and closing his eyes. Tonight was one where bad things would happen to the Empire.

* * *

 _ **On the Emerald…**_

Shade wiped her eyes to clear them as she once again turned her focus on the horizon, watching as the sun began its descent. Soon, they would in what was classed as Imperial airspace, and under the cover of darkness. From there, they would head into enemy territory, and hopefully cause an explosion that would send a clear message to all of Mobius: Hope was not lost.

The sound of the door opening behind her drew her attention, as she turned to find Knuckles walking in, a tray in his hands.

"Need anything to drink, babe?" Knuckles asked Shade as he sat down next to her.

Shade shook her head. "I'll be fine. It's the others I'm worried about. How're they holding up?"

"Just fine, Shade. Vector and the others are just strewn about, trying to catch a wink or two before we get to Artika." Knuckles said.

"Good." Shade said. "For a few hours, I was worried they wouldn't listen, get tired and jeopardise the mission. You know how irresponsible they can be."

"Not all the time, Shade." Knuckles said, taking a sip from the drink in his hand. "Because they know what's coming just as much as we do: A potential bloodbath."

Shade nodded, turning her attention back to the darkening sky in front of them. "It likely will be a bloodbath, Knuckles. For us as well as them. For all we know, we could lose somebody tonight."

Knuckles moved closer. "Good thing Ray didn't hear that. He's really nervous about tonight. It was a chore trying to get him to get some sleep."

Shade nodded. "Now that you mention it, you have a point. But, it's a possibility. One of us, be it you, me, Vector, or anyone else, could possibly not be alive come tomorrow."

Knuckles seized Julie by the wrist, saying sternly: "Don't you _dare_ say that, Shade! No-one is going to die tonight. Not me, Vector, not the others, and most definitely not you. I won't allow it."

Shade smiled and said: "I know you won't Knuckles. But one day, there might not be a choice."

"There's always a choice, Shade." Knuckles. "Like when I chose you over Rouge." With this, he kissed Shade passionately.

Shade wholeheartedly returned the kiss, before breaking it, and embracing Knuckles. "I love you."

"I know." Knuckles said, kissing Shade again, but more passionately. Reaching out and turning on the autopilot, he surprised his girl by lifting her off the pilot's seat and carrying her over to a corner of the cockpit, where only the setting sun could see what they were doing.

* * *

 _ **An hour and a half later, Ruins of Artika Prison, 22:15 pm**_

Roman descended the ramp of the shuttle and took a deep breath as he surveyed the area around him, feeling an eerie sense of melancholy as memories surged into his mind:

His first duel against Elias, the constant attacks… But the memories that stuck the most in his head were the ones that were the most significant: That of him making love to Ashley the last night they had spent together, and most of all, the memory of him holding the dying Roth in his arms, watching his master breathe his final breath.

Roman bowed his head as these memories came flooding in. He could hear sounds of battle echoing throughout the complex, coupled with the screams of those prisoners that had been forced to stay in the complex long after its abandonment, crying out for mercy.

But what Roman felt the most was the cold. Not the coldness of the climate, but the cold, freezing feeling that was the Dark Side of the Force. It had manifested itself in the place, a result of the evil that had been wrought here. He felt a hand touch his shoulder, and he turned to see Blaze walk past, her face sad.

"Such a shame… To see what was once mighty now in ruin." She said.

Roman folded his arms. "No use crying over the past, Blaze. Because it's the past. Nothing more. All that matters is that we're here to avenge what happened here, and what happened in Mobotropolis. History will remember today as one of the worst days in the Empire's history."

"Let's hope that does apply, and not that the Empire snaps ye all up." Came a voice.

Roman froze like carbonite when he heard that voice. Two years would not dull his memory of that voice. It sounded like it was being shouted from the end of a long tunnel, but he knew that voice. Turning, he saw the visage of the man who had died here in Roman's arms. "Roth…" Roman said, smiling.

Roth stepped further forward. He was dressed in a brown cloak and white and brown Jedi Robes, and he was surrounded with white energy, showing he was a Force Ghost. "Good to see yer still alive, Roman."

Roman chuckled. "Can't say the same for you, old man."

Roth looked down at himself and shrugged. "Can't help that I'm dead. Of course, I'd prefer to still be alive, but that's not possible anymore. All I can do now, is watch, which, isn't exactly me cup of tea, if I do say so meself."

Roman looked around and asked: "Why stay here? All that remains is darkness and suffering."

Roth looked about and said: "I like it here. And besides, I was cremated here, and here I'll stay. Besides, the dump could use a bit of light."

Roman nodded agreement. "Too right."

Roth nodded too before saying: "Roman, listen to me. Elias… He knows yer coming. He doesn't know who ye are yet, but he knows that you're coming. And when the time comes, you'll need to be ready for him. No matter what, until you see the bastard, keep that hood raised while on the base. No matter what."

Roman nodded and said: "I will, Roth. I promise."

Roth smiled and made to say somewhere else when Silver burst into view, shouting excitedly:

"The Freedom Fighters are here!"

Roman nodded appreciatively and looked to Roth. "Anywhere I can hide?"

Roth nodded and said: "Follow me. And get that fucking hood up."

Roman laughed and obliged, replying: "I missed you too, you old fuck."

* * *

 _ **Outside the Prison…**_

Sally jogged down the ramp of the Empire's Bane into the cold, breezy air of Artika, breathing it in as the memories she had from her time there came forth. She folded her arms as she watched the Emerald land without much difficulty, seeing the Chaotix disembark not too long later. She soon felt an arm wrap around her shoulder as she turned to see Sonic, who looked up at the prison's ruins, scowling.

"Where it all began…" Sonic said.

Sally nodded and hugged Sonic back, just as Tails came up, folding his arms.

Turning to them, Tails asked: "So what're we waiting for?" Silver, Blaze and the Ghost are waiting for us."

Sally turned to Tails and motioned to the ships. "We still need to unload the ships. We're going to make this our Forward Operations Base for this mission, from which Ahsoka and Nicole will run us through the mission."

Tails' eyes narrowed. "Last I checked, Ahsoka _hates_ the cold."

"Exactly." Ahsoka said as she walked out of the Empire's Bane, pushing along a power conduit. "But I'm willing to put up with it just for tonight."

Tails smirked and walked up, taking the conduit from Ahsoka, saying: "Allow me."

Ahsoka folded her arms. "You know, I can still do most things whilst pregnant."

"Yeah, but I'd rather you didn't." Tails said. "I've always said that pregnant women should be taking it easy, not exerting themselves and risking harm to themselves and the baby."

"No offence Tails, but Ahsoka isn't your average pregnant woman." Seth said as he walked out of the Empire's Bane. "But I appreciate the gesture. Not many people are gentlemen to Ahsoka these days, mostly due to her species."

"Thanks." Ahsoka said sarcastically, kissing Seth as he drew near.

Sally, who was watching nearby, looked at all this with a smile, one that faded as she heard a familiar voice over the wind call out:

"Yo!"

Sally turned and saw Silver and Blaze standing by the entrance to the prison, quickly jogging over with Sonic in tow. "Everyone okay? Where's Roman?"

"Hiding inside." Blaze said as she embraced Sally. "He wants to 'make a badass entrance'. At least that's what he said."

Sally giggled. "Sounds just like him."

Sonic smiled and turned to see that the ships had been unloaded, calling out: "Come on! The area's safe!"

The Freedom Fighters quickly came up, greeting Silver and Blaze warmly, whilst asking numerous questions on 'The Ghost'.

"Alright, alright." Blaze said. "He's inside, if you want to see him." At this, she walked into the ruins, followed suit by Silver.

Sally turned to the Freedom Fighters and shrugged. "Well? What're we waiting for?" At this, she entered the ruins, followed suit by the Freedom Fighters.

* * *

 _ **Moments later…**_

The first feeling that hit Tails was the immense cold, like a pair of icy cold hands using his spine as a piano. But it was not the cold of the climate he was in that bothered him, but that of an immense sense of the Dark Side of the Force. Turning to a now grim faced Seth, Tails asked: "Do you feel that?"

Seth nodded. "The cold…"

Ahsoka chose that moment to enter, and she stumbled, using the conduit she was holding to steady herself, one hand there, and another on her belly.

Seth instantly jogged over to her, asking: "Are you okay?"

Ahsoka nodded. "The darkness… It's immense."

"That's because we're in a dark place." Blaze said. "The Ghost said so himself."

"Just who _is_ the Ghost?" Shadow asked Blaze suspiciously. "And where is he? I recall you saying he'd be here."

"He is." Silver said, eyeing Shadow. "Just not where you think he would be."

"And where is that, exactly?" Rouge said as she sidled up next to Shadow.

"Up here!" Shouted a voice. A very familiar voice at that.

Everyone of the Freedom Fighters, those that were not aware of the Ghost's true identity, instantly froze and looked up in the direction of the voice, which came from one of the watchtowers of the prison. They knew that voice.

The person they had come to know as 'The Ghost' leaped down from his perch, landing into a forward roll, and rising to his feet. He wore jet-black armour of a Mandalorian design, but where the helmet would have been, a large hood was in its place, hiding the Ghost's visage from view. But what really drew their attention was the weapons 'The Ghost' had on his person: A familiar DL-44 Blaster Pistol, and, something they had all noticed missing from Sally's belt in the past week: The lightsaber that had once belonged to Roman the Fox.

Sally folded her arms and smiled as 'The Ghost' reached back, and removed his hood, revealing the face of one many had once thought dead: Roman the Fox.

Roman smiled as he took in the surprised and shocked stares of his friends as he said: "It's good to be back."

* * *

The silence that fell over the assembled Freedom Fighters was immense. It was as if they had just been permanently been rendered mute by the sheer force of the revelation that Roman, a person they had thought dead for just over two years, was alive.

Seth stepped out from the stunned crowd, facing his oldest friend with a bewildered look. He was suddenly considering nailing himself in the balls for not believing the others when they had told him that Roman lived. Stepping closer, he looked Roman in the eye for the first time in over three years, his iron grey eyes boring into Roman's chocolate brown ones.

And then he punched Roman in the face.

Roman staggered back from the punch, as the others gasped, shaking his head and rubbing his jaw, before looking back up at Seth and remarking: "I guess I deserved that."

"That you did." Seth said, folding his arms and regarding Roman with an angry expression as a tense silence fell upon the Freedom Fighters, who were thinking a fight was about to break out between Roman and Seth.

Suddenly, Seth's face curled into a massive grin as he burst out laughing, something Roman did as well, as the two just hurled themselves into one another's arms, embracing fiercely.

Breaking the embrace, Seth looked Roman over and said: "You are officially the toughest motherfucker I know. And I'm dating a tough one."

"I know!" Roman said, laughing along with Seth.

The tension amongst the Freedom Fighters disintegrated as they broke into massive grins and laughed in relief, as Roman faced Ahsoka.

"Told you we'd meet again someday, 'Soka." Roman said with a wry smile.

"Just not in these circumstances." Ahsoka said as she just hugged Roman, saying: "I missed you."

"As I did you." Roman said as he accepted Ahsoka into his arms. The moment he did though, he felt something poking him in the stomach. Breaking the hug, he looked down, blinking in surprise at the sight of her swollen belly. "Is… that what I think it is in your gut?" Roman asked.

Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "It is, Rome. Me and Seth are going to be parents."

Roman looked between Seth and Ahsoka, before finally looking at both of them, laughing as he said: "That's awesome!" before hugging them both.

"I know!" Ahsoka said as she released him.

Roman smiled as he looked at Seth, pointing at Ahsoka's belly. "You are aware Obi-Wan's going to kill you if he finds out."

"He already did, and coupled it with an hour-long lecture on responsibility, one I heard from him many, many times." Seth said with a shrug.

Roman smirked. "I can imagine him now." He hugged Seth again as he asked: "Do you know what you're expecting?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "I only just hit five months, Rome. And I haven't scheduled an ultrasound yet. And neither do I want to."

Roman eyed her questioningly as he asked: "So, what you're saying is, you don't want to find out if your child is healthy, or if it's stillborn, or-"

"Roman, stop!" Ahsoka said, giggling. "Yes, I do want to know if the baby is healthy, but I already know that via the Force. What I meant to say is that I don't want to know what gender I'm expecting. Call it my wish for a surprise."

Roman nodded. "Sounds good to me." Turning from his two close friends, he looked over his friends and gave them a shrug. "What're you waiting for? I won't bite!"

At that moment, everyone descended upon Roman, painting him with questions pertaining to how he had survived.

"Okay, okay!" Roman said, holding up his arms. "I'll explain everything later. For now, we have more important things to be doing."

"Like what exactly?"

At the sound of that voice, Roman's heartstrings tugged at him so hard they almost tore off completely. Turning, fighting back tears as he did, he turned to face Ashley, the one person he had yearned to see above everyone else.

Ashley gave her boyfriend a smile, despite clearly fighting back tears of her own. "Where's my greeting, huh?"

Roman faced Ashley completely, as he placed his hands on his hips, smiling as he did. "Ashley. Just the girl I wanted to see."

The two lovers stared at each other for another few moments before finally bounding towards each other, Ashley almost leaping into Roman's arms as she gripped him tightly, finally letting the tears of joy she had staunched for so long flow down her cheeks, letting out a multitude of heaving sobs.

Roman did the same, his heart hammering at his ribs as he finally reunited with the woman he loved, holding her as close as he could, never wanting to leave her again.

* * *

Tails watched this from nearby, wiping a tear or two from his eyes as he watched his close friend reunite with the girl who had stolen his heart. Walking up, Tails said: "Roman?"

Roman broke the hug he was sharing with Ashley, and gazed at Tails for the first time in a while. "Tails…"

Tails smiled and finally broke into laughter as he and Roman embraced one another again, both laughing as they revelled in one another's presence once more.

Breaking the warm embrace, Roman turned to Sally and said: "Well, Sally? Shall we get this show on the road?"

Sally smiled and nodded. "Yes. Let's get this show on the road. Just get that hood up. Imperial Probe Droids could be anywhere."

Roman chuckled as he raised his hood, retorting: "Including up my ass? I don't know Sally, I'd be feeling very uncomfortable if I did."

Everyone burst out laughing as they got to work, relieved that Roman was alive and well, and not dead as many of them had thought.

* * *

 **Sorry for the short delay! Moving house is one heck of a b*tch. Trust me, I know. But that's in the past, and now I can look forward to living in my new home! Yay!**

 **But enough of that for now. Please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!) and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	18. Chapter 18: Revelations

**Chapter 18: Revelations**

 _ **Within Artika Base, The hangar…**_

The doors snaked open as Elias stepped through, flanked by Commander Stark, and Captain Aryn, walking intently towards the forefront of the large column of Imperial Snowtroopers and junior officers, all of whom kept their gaze away from Elias', having become well aware over the past few days of his tendency to kill anyone he thought was incompetent. They instead were facing the same way as he was, which was towards the outside entrance to the hangar, through which an Imperial shuttle soon flew.

Elias smiled under his mask as he quickened his pace, soon coming to a stop at the forefront of the column, folding his arms expectantly as he awaited the shuttle's descent.

He soon got his wish, as the shuttle landed metres away from him, and within seconds of that happening, the ramp lowered, allowing the shuttle's passengers to disembark.

Elias smiled as said passengers came into his sight: Colonel Aryn, looking as beautiful as she ever had in her uniform, the Second Sister, who cast her eye suspiciously around every small detail of the hangar, and the Third Brother, who simply walked down the ramp as if he owned the entire base. Elias scowled at this, seeing that the Second Sister's attempts at discipline had done little to cool the Third Brother's immense ego. He instead turned to the Colonel, nodding as he said: "Glad you're here. Our long distance scanners picked up the Freedom Fighters not too long ago."

"Good to know." Cersei said as she and her two guards came to a stop before him. She spotted her cousin flanking Elias on the left, and gave him a reassuring smile.

The Second Sister quickly stepped forward and said: "Grand Inquisitor. We should move out of the hangar and into the command centre. We can best co-ordinate the defence of the base from there."

"I agree." Elias said. "Let's take a walk."

"Yes, let's." The Third Brother said. "That shuttle ride was terribly uncomfortable." Turning to no-one in particular, the Third Brother said: "Remind me to request something more… comfortable for the Inquisitors. Something superior to the garbage I get on Lambda Class shuttles."

Elias rolled his eyes and faced the Third Brother. "May I remind you that you are _not_ the person in charge. _I_ am."

"Considering the recent string of missed opportunities you've had to capture the Jedi, I would not think so, _Grand_ Inquisitor." The Third Brother said, saying the word 'grand' as if it were a taunt.

With a quick, deft movement, Elias connected his fist to the Third Brother's nose, feeling it break under the force of his punch.

The Third Brother toppled to the floor, but just as quickly, leaped back to his feet, and drew his lightsaber, snarling: "What you just did would get you hanged on Shili, Grand Inquisitor! Have you any idea who I am?"

Elias responded by making a pincer of his hands and seizing the Third Brother's throat with a Force Choke.

The Third Brother rose into the air, pawing at his throat helplessly as the Grand Inquisitor stepped closer, clawing at his throat even more when the Grand Inquisitor tightened his telekinetic grip, saying:

"Allow me to make two things _explicitly_ clear." Elias snarled. "I do not care _who_ you are, _or_ whose loins you were born from. And second, we are _not_ on Shili. We're on the planet of Mobius. Now get that through your skull! Tightening his telekinetic grip on the Third Brother's throat even more, to the point of crushing the Third Brother's larynx, he added: "Or you will find my lightsaber in its place. Now _is. That. Clear?"_

The Third Brother nodded weakly.

"Excellent." Elias said, releasing his grip on the Third Brother's throat as the Togruta fell to the floor, coughing fiercely. Turning to the others, he said: "Let that be a lesson to all that would defy my authority!" Turning once again to his entourage, Elias snarled: "Now let's go! We've wasted enough time as it is." At this, he continued on his way to the command centre.

The Third Brother rose to his feet after replenishing what little breath Elias' Force Choke had left him with, glaring in the direction of the Grand Inquisitor, silently muttering: "You'll regret this. That much I promise you." At this, he set off after them, ignoring the laughter of the people around him.

* * *

 _ **Outside the Base…**_

Lowering the binoculars he was holding in his hands, Roman frowned. "Looks like our job just got a heck of a lot harder."

"Why's that?" Ashley asked as she walked up.

"It would appear that we have a new Inquisitor around. Talk about a way to fuck things up." Roman replied.

Tails swore under his breath nearby. A brand new Inquisitor was definitely a means to throw a spanner in the plans of the Freedom Fighters.

"We should contact Sally and the others. Warn them." Ashley said after taking the binoculars and taking a look herself.

"You read my mind." Roman said, flashing Ashley a grin.

Ashley returned the grin, before contacting Sally: "Future Queen, are you there?"

"We read you, Ashley. Loud and clear." Sally's voice replied.

"We just got visual of a new Inquisitor roaming the base. We haven't seen him before." Ashley reported.

"Fuck!" Sally hissed on her side of the comm. Sighing, she said: "Well, no use crying over spilled milk. Hold your position until I say so, and then cause enough of a ruckus to attract as many hostiles as you can. You know the rest."

"Indeed I do." Ashley said. "Over and out."

"Over and out." Sally replied on her end, cutting the comm just as Ahsoka's voice came on:

"Everyone in position?"

"Not yet, Ahsoka. Sally's team are still on the move. The distraction teams, such as my team, are in position. All we're doing is waiting on them." Roman replied.

"Okay." Ahsoka's voice said as the comm cut again.

Roman turned to the rest of his team, that being himself, Ashley, Tails, and Team Rose. It was then he noticed a young female wolf with Amy, Cream and Blaze, one he didn't recognise. Nodding, he said: "Sit tight, peeps. Mission's not got a green light to start yet."

Team Rose, Tails and Ashley nodded agreement as they all simply sat down, Roman following suit, lying down and relaxing in the snow.

It wasn't long before Roman suddenly heard a voice softly speak his name:

"Roman?"

Roman sat up and looked in the direction of the voice, seeing Cream had scooted up next to him. "Yeah, Cream?" He said, suddenly noticing the changes Cream's figure was undergoing.

Cream twiddled her thumbs a bit before asking: "Do you still feel guilty over what happened to Mother?"

Roman shook his head. "No. I've had two years to think over things, and… If you're about to try and absolve me of something you already have done, then… Don't bother. Your mother wouldn't want to dwell too much in the past."

Cream smiled and just hugged Roman, saying: "I missed you."

Roman smiled, saying: "I missed you too, buddy." Releasing Cream, he patted her on the shoulder, before getting to his feet and trudged up next to Team Rose. "Everyone okay?"

Amy nodded. "A lot better knowing you're still alive." She said, smiling.

Roman nodded and sat down, turning next to Blaze. "Glad to be with someone else other than Silver for a change?"

"I have to say, it's refreshing." Blaze said. "At least now, I can't get ribbed for being too intimate with Silver."

"You mean _for_ now." Roman said with a wry smirk.

Blaze just rolled her eyes and looked away.

Roman chuckled before turning to the wolf he'd spotted. "Sorry for not asking earlier, but… who are you exactly?"

"Sasha the Wolf." The wolf replied. "I was one of the civilians Amy rescued during the Battle of Mobotropolis. She was there when I gave birth to my daughter just outside the city."

Roman grimaced. "Yikes. That doesn't sound pleasant."

"It wasn't." Sasha replied with a knowing smirk. "And in a few months, your friend Ahsoka will be going through the same thing, though hopefully in a much more suitable place."

Roman smirked. "That's what I hope too." Holding out his hand, he said: "But pleased to meet you anyway."

"I'm pleased to meet you too, Rome." Sasha said. "If you hadn't given Amy the mission of evacuating the survivors, me and Rose wouldn't have survived the events of that night, and I'd have likely given birth in a much worse place then I actually did."

Roman chuckled and got to his feet, just as Ahsoka's voice came back on:

"All teams, mission is a go! I repeat, mission is a go!"

Roman smirked and turned to his team, pulling up his hood and shouting: "Freedom Fighters! Let's go fuck some Imperials!"

* * *

 _ **Inside the base…**_

The familiar blaring of the alarms drew Elias and Cersei's attention, both stopping what they were doing instantly, and beginning to prepare for combat.

"Good thing I brought along my combat attire." Cersei said as she strapped on her armour and exchanged her hat for a helmet.

Elias did the same, strapping on his armour and covered his face with his helmet. Turning to Cersei, Elias said: "We need to get to the Command Centre. I'll get the other Inquisitors to meet us there."

Cersei nodded and holstered her pistol, quickly following Elias out into the corridor, hearing him contact his bretheren:

"Fellow Inquisitors, meet me at the Command Centre. From there, we'll head over to where the Jedi are."

"Yes, Grand Inquisitor!" The other Grand Inquisitors said via their com-links.

Elias belted his com-link as he stormed towards the command centre, Cersei at his side. They had things to do.

* * *

 _ **With Sally and her team…**_

"Looks like it's time for us to start getting on with what we came here to do." Sally said, rising from her squatting position and facing her selected team: Sonic, Shadow, Rouge, Bunnie, Antoine and Silver. The reason E-123 Omega was not present was that the other members of Team Dark had requested he remain at the prison as a line of defence should the prison be attacked.

Sonic nodded and walked over to Sally, asking: "Ready?"

Sally nodded. "Ready." With this, she kissed Sonic passionately, as she always did prior to a mission like this. She did so as she knew that it could potentially be the last kiss she and Sonic shared in this life.

Rouge and Shadow followed suit, leaving Silver wishing Blaze was there with him. But then they would have been ribbed endlessly afterwards by Roman, as had become commonplace.

Breaking the kiss, Sally drew her blaster, and said: "On me. Any Snowtroopers poke their heads out, you know what to do."

The group nodded, and each stepped out of their cover and followed Sally.

Peeking around a corner, Sally quickly hugged the wall as a squad of Snowtroopers jogged past:

"Keep an eye out, boys." Said one, likely the commander. "We got word that the Freedom Fighters were heading into the base around this area. Keep your eyes peeled and make sure they don't get past."

Sally turned to her team with a smirk and whispered: "We already did, bitches."

The group dissolved into stifled laughter, save for Shadow, who simply scoffed at Sally's jab at the inattentiveness of the Snowtroopers.

Once it had all died down, Sally said: "But seriously, let's move it." At this, she quickly rounded the corner, and sprinted towards their entry point into the base, followed suit by her friends.

But not before they ran into another squad of Snowtroopers, conveniently headed their way.

"What the-" The Snowtrooper in command blurted out, recognising them: "It's the Freedom Fighters! Open fire!"

Sally reacted quickly, jumping into a forward roll to dodge the early barrage, ending the rotation in a kneeling position as she raised her pistol and fired, downing three of the eight Snowtroopers present.

Sonic leapt into action with practiced ease, spin dashing all of the still living Snowtroopers into some confusion, which soon ended once Silver's eyes began glowing the same colour as the designs on his bracelets, which began to glow as well, when he used his Psychokinesis to levitate all of the Snowtroopers into the air, and once they were all there, he waved his hand and sent them flying into the wall nearby.

"They'll feel that in the morning." Silver remarked as his eyes returned to normal.

"You know hon, you probably should have done that when the fight started, and not at the end." Rouge said bluntly.

"Maybe." Silver said. "But remember, it takes a bit of concentration for me to use my psychokinesis. So I needed a little time to reach that level of concentration before I let it all out so to speak."

"Fair enough." Rouge said as she folded her arms.

"Okay you two, that's enough." Sally said. "We need to keep moving."

"I agree." Shadow said. "Let's move."

At this, the group headed on into their entry point and got on with their mission.

* * *

 _ **With Seth, the clones, and Team Chaotix…**_

The first Snowtrooper, or Snowtroopers to fall came at the hand of a thermal detonator thrown by Seth, which exploded, sending an entire squad of troopers flying.

Tearing his WESTAR-35s from their holsters, Seth shouted: "Now!" as he began firing on the other members of the platoon they had just ambushed, managing to down several.

Knuckles leaped out of cover, shouting a line he had memorised just for this moment: "Say hello to my little friend!" as he brandished a Z-6 Rotary Cannon, spinning it up and firing within seconds.

Shatter and Tusk quickly followed, picking off the stragglers.

Within seconds, it was all over, as the other members of Team Chaotix poked their heads out.

"You coulda left some for us, you know!" Vector complained as he lowered his E-11.

"Well next time, I suggest you get your ass out here sooner." Seth said with a smirk.

Vector harrumphed and said: "Okay boys, let's move!" He quickly noticed Shade was not among them. "Hey, where's Shade?"

As if on cue, the blast door leading into their entry point cranked open, revealing Shade and a cluster of dead Snowtroopers behind her. "Securing our way in." She replied, sauntering over and kissing Knuckles as she said: "We'd best move Seth. The Imperials are certain to have seen that."

"I agree. Let's move, team!" Seth shouted as he ran past Shade into the entry point.

Shade looked to the clones and Chaotix and shrugged. "You heard the man, let's move!"

* * *

 _ **With Ahsoka, ruins of Artika Prison…**_

Ahsoka stepped away from the ships and sat on a nearby boulder, which looked to have been blown off part of the wall protecting the prison. As she sat down, she crossed her arms. The cold, no matter how many layers of clothing she had put on, had still managed to get to her. And it wasn't just that type of cold getting to her.

The cold, icy fingers of the Dark Side had gripped her tight, and felt like they would not let go unless she either left the area, or succumbed to the numbing sensation of its manifestation.

Her hands quickly found her rounding stomach, and a warmth that could not be replicated filled her, as it often did at times like this. _Four more months…_ She thought. Just four more months, and she'd be a mother. No word could describe the excitement she felt at the thought of finally becoming a parent. She thought back to when she had grasped the pregnancy test in her hands several months ago, and it had come out positive, and the joy that had filled her heart then. She figured it would be nothing compared to when she first held her newborn in her arms. She was driven from thought when she heard a voice:

"Ach. I always took ye to be the maternal type."

Ahsoka jumped to her feet and grabbed for lightsabers no longer on her person, until the voice came to her again:

"By the Force, lassie, calm down! I'm not here to kill ye!"

Ahsoka calmed down, recognising the voice. "Roth?"

"Aye." The aged Jedi said as he materialised. He hadn't changed much since his death, looking the same as he had in life, just with different robes.

Ahsoka smiled as she folded her arms. "Master Qui Gon been teaching you what he's been telling Yoda and Obi-Wan?"

"Aye." Roth said, folding his arms. "Same for ye I presume."

Ahsoka nodded. "Except I'm not the one that needs the power. Yet."

Roth chuckled before his face grew grim. "Still, I've been told a wee thing or two, and it involves Seth."

Ahsoka bit her lip. This didn't sound good. "What?"

Roth shifted uncomfortably on his feet, saying: "Next you see him… Tell him his father has in fact been there for him. He just wasn't looking the right way."

Ahsoka's eyes narrowed. "What do you-" her face fell as she realised she had known Seth's father all along.

It was Roth.

* * *

Ahsoka sat back down and held her head in her hands as she contemplated the fact that Cain Roth, one of the greatest men she had ever known, was Seth's father, a man Seth had said he despised above all else for not being there for him or his mother, who had died a year before in a firefight. "How… How can this be?"

"Ach, it just so happens I was on Mandalore, celebrating with one of me previous apprentices before Roman, celebrating his accession to Knighthood, and my appointment as a Jedi Master." Roth said gravely. "That was when I met his mother. And, since we were both drunk… One thing led to another, and… Ye know the rest." Folding his arms, he said: "It seems so stupid to me now, considering that I viewed Seth as a surrogate son of mine, when he really was me biological son."

"Tell me about it." Ahsoka said, sighing. "I never thought for a second that you of all people was Seth's father. You do realise he'll hate you for all time when he finds out?"

"That is a fact I've resigned meself to." Roth said gravely. "Seth was always more angry at the universe than anyone I've met."

Ahsoka nodded. "Maybe if I told him, he'd take it better. Maybe he'll even be amused. He always did look more like his mother than you. The only thing he ever inherited from you was your hair and eyes."

Roth grimaced. "Thanks for the harsh reminder."

"Sorry." Ahsoka said sheepishly.

"Ach, don't worry." Roth said, his eyes now on Ahsoka's womb. "What matters, is the little 'un growing inside of ye."

Ahsoka smiled, placing a hand on her expanding stomach. "I know."

Roth moved closer, his hand hovering as much as it could over Ahsoka's abdomen. "I never thought I'd be a grandfather, much less a father. Yet here I stand, though not alive, with the mother of my grandchild."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Me and Seth did always hope to have kids." Placing both hands over her womb, she added: "It just so happens that that dream is going to be a reality real soon."

Roth chuckled, saying: "You'd better take care of that little lad or lass, Ahsoka. Otherwise, I will haunt ye till the day ye die."

Ahsoka giggled. "I missed you too, Roth."

Roth shrugged as his spirit disappeared.

Ahsoka sat forwards, sighing as she recalled what Roth had told her. Another voice drew her attention, this one female:

"A lot on your mind?"

Ahsoka looked up to see Nicole standing nearby. "Yeah. Just had a bombshell dropped on me the size of Eggman's gut?"

"You sure it's not _your_ gut, Ahsoka?" Nicole joked with a knowing smirk.

Ahsoka giggled at the tasteful joke, saying: "You have no idea."

* * *

 _ **Artika Base Command Centre…**_

Elias folded his arms with a smile as he studied the security cameras, watching as the Snowtroopers, guarding the base put up an admirable attempt to resist the Freedom Fighters' advance. He had not sighted 'the Ghost' yet, but he was certain that he would eventually spot the hooded figure that had haunted him through sleep and wakefulness. Of the two Jedi, he had managed to spot the one known as Seth Kerran, and had since sent the Second Sister to face him. He was watching them duelling right now. In the meantime, the Third Brother was sitting nearby, regaling some bored officers with some anecdotes of his time in the royal court of Shili.

By Elias' side stood Cersei, her eyes flitting from screen to screen as she searched for her cousin amongst the cameras. He had not reported to the command centre at the start of the attack, and no-one had seen him since. The Third Brother had snorted that her Jax must have deserted, asking someone to remind him to place a bounty on the boy's head, a remark that had led to a tense confrontation between Elias and The Third Brother. She was aware of several older officers, including Commander Stark, eyeing her hungrily, something she decided on ignoring for the most part. The fact she had Elias on hand might've been why they had not made a move yet. Or they were simply eyeing her from afar, admiring her appearance, a fact she also chose to ignore, instead focusing on keeping her eyes peeled for Jax among the throng of Imperials fighting to prevent the Freedom Fighters from achieving their objectives.

Her eyes soon latched onto her target, a fact that brought a smile to her face. He was currently in the hangar, taking cover behind a cargo crate and returning fire. But she also noticed grimly that the Freedom Fighters were steadily gaining ground, as she watched numerous Snowtroopers dropping dead from what had to be expert marksmanship from their assailant. She flinched as one bolt grazed Jax's arm, nearly causing him to drop his blaster, but she smiled as her cousin looked to just shrug it off and continue fighting. Though for how long, she had no idea.

* * *

 _ **With Roman, Tails, Ashley, and Team Rose, Artika Base Hangar…**_

Roman ducked into a forward roll, raising his blaster pistol and snapping off several shots, some of which downed Snowtroopers, while the others simply thudded uselessly into cover. He scowled and made to further fire his blaster until he saw Tails dash past, lightsaber in hand as the younger vulpine Jedi began blocking the blaster bolts. Roman blinked in surprise as he recognised Tails was using Soresu, the form he had promised to teach Tails before he had vanished. He suddenly realised Seth must have taken up Tails' training. Him and Ahsoka. _Note to self,_ Roman thought to himself, _I owe Seth big time._ He was torn from thought as Tails' irritated voice drew his attention:

"I would appreciate it if you actually did something!" Tails said as he continuously blocked the oncoming bolts. "I'm not willing to become a Mobian shield!"

Roman chuckled as he jumped out of cover and moved near Tails, firing on some Snowtroopers he hadn't been able to fire at before.

Several fell while another rolled underneath the bolt headed his way. Unfortunately, that didn't save him for the next blaster bolt that came his way, which hit him dead between the eyes and knocked him over.

Turning to Tails, Roman shouted: "Switch places!"

Tails obliged, spinning to Roman's side, while Roman barrel-rolled over to where Tails had been standing, straightening his hood and firing on some more Snowtroopers that were focusing most of their fire on Tails.

This time though, all of his shots found their mark, and the Snowtroopers that came into his crosshairs all dropped dead.

Lowering his blaster, Roman called Ashley: "Ash, how're things?"

"Perfect." Ashley said. "I've finished up my part of the general area, and from what I've been hearing, Team Rose is good as well."

Roman smiled. "Good to know." He said.

"Anyway," Ashley added, "we should keep moving. We linger here any longer and the Imperials will have reinforcements on their way."

"A fact I'm well aware of, Ash." Roman replied. "Meet us at the hangar exit. From there, we'll head on to the command centre, and then I'll head off on my own to track down Elias."

Ashley could be heard sighing on her side of the comm. "Okay." She said, before she was heard letting out a sharp grunt of pain as the sound of a blaster shot rang out, and she snarled: "Motherfucker!"

Roman's heart turned to ice, and he sprinted towards Ashley's position, finding her propped up against a cargo crate and clutching her side. "Are you alright?" Roman inquired.

Ashley nodded. "Just grazed me."

Roman poked his head above cover, just as he saw Tails charge the shooter from the side, slashing angrily at the shooter, watching as the shooter in question, an Imperial Officer, fell to his knees, clutching his wrist. Roman deduced that Tails must have cut off the officer's hand. Getting out of cover, Roman helped up Ashley, and the pair jogged over to where Tails had the officer, his lightsaber at the officer's throat. Team Rose soon arrived too.

Tails switched off his lightsaber as Roman approached, saying: "He's all yours."

The officer looked up, and recoiled in horror as he recognised Roman: "The Ghost…"

Roman's eyes widened as he recognised the officer as the young man he had given a chance to escape and leave the Empire. "I remember you." He said. "I gave you a chance! A chance to live your life free of worry!" Kneeling down, Roman asked: "Why throw all that away and serve a regime that preys on the weak?"

The officer looked up and glared at 'The Ghost'. "Because the Empire represents order. All you represent is a love for chaos."

Roman's face hardened in disgust as he said: "I gave you a choice. You've clearly made up your mind." Rising to his feet, he asked: "You got a name?"

The officer remained defiant, replying: "Aryn. Captain Jax Aryn."

Roman nodded, and replied: "I'll see you in hell, then." Instantly after he had said this, he raised his DL-44, and fired, executing the young officer on the spot. Holstering his pistol, he muttered: "Such a waste." Turning to his friends, he took in their surprised expressions as he said almost forcefully: "Let's go."

* * *

 _ **The Command Centre…**_

Elias grimaced as he heard Cersei's scream of anguish, as did the other inhabitants of the room. Yet he forced himself to watch as Jax toppled to the floor, dead, and the Ghost appeared to mutter something before saying to his team:

"Let's go."

Elias clenched his fists as he watched the Freedom Fighters exit the hangar, and turned to see Cersei on her knees, covering her face as sobs escaped her lips. It caught at his heart to see his love so anguished, but he fought the urge to kneel down and offer a shoulder to cry on. Turning to the Third Brother, who was watching with a look of indifference, Elias said: "Take everyone here and intercept the Freedom Fighters. But focus your efforts on the Jedi."

The Third Brother scoffed. "Why me? That 'Jedi' is little more than a boy."

Elias smirked. "Then you should have little difficulty defeating him. Unless you're scared that said 'boy' will end up defeating _you_ rather than vice versa."

The Third Brother went beet red and said: "Fine! Everyone, follow me! We shall deal with these insignificant pests, and that boy who fancies himself as a Jedi." With this, the Third Brother swept out of the room, followed by a few grumbling officers and Stormtroopers, save for Commander Stark.

Elias turned to Cersei and walked over, helping her up and saying: "I promise you, Colonel. Your cousin will be avenged."

"How can you be so sure? We haven't even seen what the Ghost is like in combat." Cersei asked.

"Well, we may be about to find out." Elias said, just as a panicked voice broke in on the comm:

"This is main reactor control! We're under attack! The Freedom Fighters have made it into the reactor room!" The voice said.

Elias swore under his breath and stepped over, saying: "Main Reactor Control, this is the Grand Inquisitor. Hold them for as long as possible. I will join the fray presently." Turning to Cersei, Elias said: "Remain here with Colonel Stark. I will not be long." At this, he too exited the room, seeing a fresh confrontation with his sister on the horizon.

* * *

 _ **With Sally and her team, Main Reactor…**_

Sally hit the ground with a low grunt as she carried herself into a forward roll, leaping up and activating her ring blades, guiding one of them into the abdomen of a technician who had picked up the blaster of one of his allies. Pulling the blade free, she turned rapidly, slashing out with one of her blades and beheading another.

As she moved to engage some more, a familiar blue blur burst into her line of sight, spin-dashing several of them and sending them flying. Shaking her head in disbelief and folding her arms, she asked: "Are you going to continue stealing my kills, or are you going to let me take my fair share?"

"Maybe." Sonic said to his wife with a playful grin, surprising her with a peck on the cheek before sprinting off again.

Sally sighed and drew her blaster, blasting a nearby Stormtrooper in the head as she pushed forward.

Around her, the battle for control of the main reactor was raging.

Sonic was doing what he did best, which was run all around the room and off-balancing the hostiles filling up the room while the other members of the team offed them.

Shadow and Rouge had taken another walkway, and were currently fighting their way to the main reactor, Shadow with a WESTAR-35 Blaster Pistol in his right hand, and a combat knife in the other, and Rouge, using her hands and feet, along with the environment, as her weapons of choice.

Silver had already made it to the main reactor, and had currently thrown up a psychokinetic shield to defend against the fire of the hostiles on the upper level. His body was surrounded in a cyan aura, and his eyes and bracelets glowed the same colour, and he was using his psychokinesis to toss random Stormtroopers through the room, the unfortunate troopers normally landing in random positions.

Bunnie and Antoine were by his side, each stopping any troopers that were trying to get close by sneaking up on the white coloured hedgehog. Bunnie with her cybernetic limbs and built in weapons, and Antoine with his sabre and blaster.

Sally meanwhile, had now also reached them, but quickly assisted Shadow and Rouge in dispatching the last of their stragglers.

"Thanks. Not that we needed the help." Shadow said arrogantly as he sauntered past.

Sally scowled before turning to Bunnie and saying: "Where're the bombs?"

"With me." Shadow answered. "Now it's merely a simple matter of planting them."

"I'm afraid that's not the case at all."

Sally grimaced at the sound of that voice, the harsh, condescending voice that belonged to her brother. Turning, she stood face to face with her brother once again. "Elias." She growled.

Elias removed his helmet and threw it aside, gesturing to the walkway he was standing on. "Look familiar?" He asked.

Sally at once was hit by the image of Elias plunging his lightsaber into the chest of their father, and that of their father's lifeless corpse toppling into the river. Closing her eyes and clenching her teeth, Sally said to her team: "Get those explosives planted. I'll hold off Elias." At this, she activated her ring blades.

Elias rolled his eyes and drew his lightsaber, holding it at the ready. "Are you sure you wish to face me again? The last two times we've battled, I've won."

"And as with the other times we've fought, I've gotten better." Sally retorted as she charged Elias, closing the distance. Their weapons met with a crackle of energy.

* * *

 _ **With Roman, Ashley, Tails, and Team Rose, corridor in the base…**_

Roman jumped back behind cover as various shots cascaded past him, snapping off a few shots as he did. He could sense that the new Inquisitor he'd spotted earlier was nearby. It was plausible that the new Inquisitor was leading this team against Roman and his team.

Tails was in clear view of everyone, swatting aside blaster bolts like they were nothing but bugs.

That was until a deep voice called out: "Jedi!"

Tails lowered his lightsaber, and the firefight ceased. At least for now, as a tall Togruta stepped into view wearing Inquisitor style clothing.

"I knew we would meet eventually." The Inquisitor said. "I assume you do not know me, so allow me to introduce myself." Puffing out his chest as he approached, he declared: "The name I have proudly carried since birth is Jeral Areeja, Third Brother of the Imperial Inquisitors!"

"Someone's sure of themselves." Tails said.

"Silence, Jedi! I was not finished." The Third Brother replied. "You still have a choice to make things right, you know. Just side with me, and the Empire will show you clemency. Refuse my offer and I will destroy you!"

"Like I said: Someone's sure of themselves." Tails retorted sarcastically.

"I do warn you, Jedi." The Third Brother said, drawing his own lightsaber. "I have a knowledge of all forms of lightsaber combat, and know the counters to each. Whatever you do will be nothing against the might of my-" his speech was cut short as he was suddenly thrown backwards via a Force-Push from Tails.

"By the Goddess, shut the fuck up!" Tails said. "Couldn't you see I wasn't even listening?"

The Third Brother rose to his feet, his pompous expression now a snarl, as he shouted: "I'll take that response as a no. Never mind. Prepare to die!" At this, he charged Tails, launching into a savage attack.

With this, the Stormtroopers and officers began opening fire again, being careful not to accidentally hit the Third Brother as he battered away at Tails.

Roman reacted quickly, levelling his blaster at the closest Stormtrooper to him and ruined the trooper's head by blasting a hole into it, moving rapidly forward and downing an Imperial Officer as he moved into fresh cover, seeing Ashley move up next to him, flashing him a smile, one he returned.

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling arose within him, as he sensed that nearby, someone he cared about deeply was in danger. Turning, he saw that Tails and the Third Brother had disappeared from view. Not that he was worried. Tails was more than capable. He knew Ashley wasn't in danger, as she was almost right next to him. He had heard Seth was fighting the Second Sister, but that didn't quite bother him. He was well aware of Seth's abilities with his lightsabers.

Then it hit him: "Sally!" He said abruptly.

"What about her?" Ashley asked, looking to Roman confusedly.

"She's in trouble!" Roman replied. "Lay down some cover fire so I can get to her!"

Ashley nodded and shouted to Team Rose: "Get ready to lay down some covering fire for Roman! He's making a break for the elevator down to the main reactor!"

Team Rose nodded and readied themselves.

"Ready…" Ashley said before shouting: "Fire!"

At this, Team Rose began laying down a hail of blaster fire, which downed several Stormtroopers and an officer, forcing the others behind cover.

Ashley turned to Roman and shouted: _"GO!"_

Roman obliged, holstering his pistol and sprinting on ahead, praying he would be in time to save Sally.

* * *

 _ **With Seth and the Second Sister…**_

Seth leaped out of the way of the Second Sister's next strike via a back-flip, landing a few paces away.

The Second Sister approached him quickly, stabbing at his belly with one lightsaber and slashing inwards with the other, with intent to stab and behead him at the same time. When both of these attacks were parried, she spun away and slashed at him with both lightsabers, which was also blocked. "You merely delay the inevitable, Kerran." She taunted. "I've been waiting for two and a half years to take my revenge on you for my defeat on Tatooine."

"Well, at this rate," Seth replied, pushing her blades away and ducking under the counter she attempted from that, at which he continued: "you may be required to wait a little longer." At this, he blocked one of her strikes, and led that lightsaber into the ground, and blocked the other of her lightsabers, except he led that one into the air. Seizing the opening, he kicked at her flank, doubling the Inquisitor over. Spinning both of his lightsabers, Seth raised both for a coup de grace, but when he brought the blades down for the kill, the Second Sister blocked them, pushing Seth away.

The two enemies stared one another down for quite some time before charging each other again.

Seth attacked first, launching a barrage of an attack as he used his environment to his advantage, often dodging a counterattack from the Second Sister to leap onto something and then somersault off of it, attacking as he completed his rotation. This was mostly due to Seth's extensive expertise in Form Four of lightsaber combat, Ataru.

The Female Inquisitor blocked a great many of the attacks, finally managing to counter with a firm kick to the back of Seth's left knee, temporarily buckling the young Jedi and forcing him to one knee. Raising her lightsabers, she brought them down heavily.

Seth reacted instantly, bringing up his lightsabers to block the oncoming blow, but the force of it was too great, and he found himself knocked onto his back. But as he fell, a lightbulb lit up in his head. Allowing himself to fall back, Seth raised his legs, and kicked at the Second Sister, causing her to flip over him completely, allowing him to get back to his feet, but not before checking to see that his limbs had survived that move. Luckily, they had.

The Second Sister's face was now curled into a snarl as she said: "Clever. Risky, but clever."

Seth shrugged as he and the Second Sister began circling one another. "High risk, high reward. That's the way I've always operated."

"'Tis a way that will also get you killed!" The Second Sister shrieked as she struck out again at him.

Seth blocked both of her attacks, countering by stepping into her guard and head-butting her square in the face, causing her to stagger back. Spinning his lightsabers, he launched his next attack, keeping his lightsabers in constant motion, as to keep the Second Sister guessing where his next attack would come from, as he slashed, cut, or thrust at her with his blades.

The Second Sister blocked all the blows that she could, and dodged the ones she could not, searching for an opening through which she could mount a counterattack.

Seth finally spotted an opening in the Second Sister's defences, and promptly pounced, knocking her blades aside and with a swift movement, slashed deeply into the Second Sister's thigh, and quickly slashing across one of the Second Sister's shapely flanks.

The Second Sister cried out in pain as she toppled to the floor, crying out even louder when Seth stepped on her wounded leg.

Pointing his lightsabers at the Second Sister, Seth said: "Next time, have your boyfriend Elias to either come himself, or send someone else." Switching off his lightsabers, Seth attached them to his belt and trudged on, making sure to kick the Second Sister's lightsabers out of her reach. He was certain that his allies were moving on with their mission.

* * *

 _ **Entrance to the Command Centre…**_

"Ready to breach?" Shatter asked Tusk, who was setting the charge.

"We are now." Tusk replied as he stepped away and hugged the wall on one side of the doorway.

Shatter did the same, but on the other side. Turning to Team Chaotix, who were standing a few paces away, hugging the walls there, he said: "Stand by for breaching?"

Everyone nodded, at which Shatter said:

" _ **Then let's get stuck the FUCK IN!"**_ The former clone captain bellowed as he hit the detonation button.

The door flew off his hinges as Shatter and Tusk leaped through, both hitting picture-perfect forward rolls and finishing in a kneeling position, pointing their blasters at nothing, while Knuckles and the Chaotix came charging in, expecting a fight, when the fight had already finished.

Much to the clones and the Chaotix's surprise, they found Ashley and Team Rose already standing there, with two Imperial officers as prisoner.

One, a female in her early to mid-twenties, looked to be the more senior of the two, her rank plaque signifying the rank of Colonel, while the second, a male in his early thirties, was a simple commander. But they weren't who the team were focused on.

"What are you doing here?" Shatter asked Ashley. "And where's Roman and Tails?"

"Tails engaged a new Inquisitor we had the pleasure of meeting not too long ago, and Roman ran off when he sensed Sally was in danger." Ashley replied. "Where's Seth?"

"Fighting that female Inquisitor slut." Knuckles said drily. "They have a history apparently."

"Her name, is the Second Sister." The female colonel growled, only to get a cuff around the head by Ashley.

"Forgive Colonel Stuck-Up Bitch here." The feline former G.U.N Agent said. "She's a little sore because 'The Ghost' killed her cousin."

"Sounds about right." Shatter said as he stepped further into the room, just as Seth entered.

"What'd I miss?" Seth asked.

"Nothing much, Seth, just Ashley giving our high ranking Imperial friend here a bit of lip." Shatter said, lowering his blaster rifle.

Seth folded his arms as he suddenly noticed the absence of Roman and Tails. "Hey, where're the Ghost and Tails?" He asked.

"The Prower kid is fighting some new Inquisitor they spotted, and Roman's buggered off to help the bomb planting team." Shatter replied. "Apparently the Princess is in trouble."

"Ah." Seth said. "That would explain it."

* * *

 _ **With Tails…**_

Tails flew back from the Force Push the Third Brother had given him, using the momentum from it to spin up his namesakes, which allowed him to land safely on the floor, and not painfully, as he would have had he not used his tails.

The Third Brother was on Tails instantly, launching a fine Makashi style attack reminiscent of Count Dooku's fighting style, utilising simple but effective jabs, small slashes and thrusts as he tested Tails' defences.

Tails parried many of these attacks, before seizing a chance and countering the Third Brother's next strike, spinning away from it and launching a downward slash at the Third Brother's left flank.

Elegantly, the Third Brother parried the slash, and succeeded with his counter, catching Tails hard on the arm with a shallow wound. "So barbaric." The Third Brother taunted. "Form Five was never my favourite form. As I was born of higher social status, I have a taste for the more… elegant styles."

"Geez, do you ever shut up about your high-life lifestyle?" Tails complained. "You're even more stuck up than some members of the nobility I've had the misfortune of meeting."

The Third Brother responded with a snarl. "Mind your words boy. Not only am I your superior in terms of lightsaber ability, I am also your social-"

"For Goddess' sake, shut the fuck up!" Tails shouted as he lashed out with a left hook that caught the Third Brother square on the jaw, staggering the pompous Togruta.

The Third Brother tasted blood, and spat it out. "What you just did would get you hanged on Shili, boy. 'Tis a pity we are not currently on Shili."

"Considering what you're saying, I wouldn't want to go to Shili. It already sounds like a shit-hole when it comes to stuck up fucks like you." Tails retorted.

"How dare you!" The Third Brother bellowed as he launched his next attack, this time, abandoning all reserve and simply focusing on pure naked aggression, tapping into his knowledge of Juyo, the most aggressive form of lightsaber combat, battering mercilessly against Tails' defences, until with a final stroke, he knocked Tails' lightsaber from hand, and pointed his own at Tails' throat. "Final chance to reconsider my offer, boy." The Third Brother said. "You are defeated."

Tails smirked. "There's one thing you're not realising. Status doesn't count for shit against brains!" At this, he ducked the thrust the Third Brother made, and with practised ease, he tore his blaster from his holster and fired several shots into the Third Brother; two in his right leg, and another two through the Togruta's chest and shoulder, which, at point-blank range, knocked the dark warrior down. Kicking the Third Brother's lightsaber out of reach, he planted a foot on the defeated Inquisitor.

"You fucking coward…" The Third Brother hissed, glaring up at Tails.

"Like I said, bad boy." Tails reiterated: "Status doesn't count for shit against brains. And from what I've seen, that's one thing you straight up lack." At this, he holstered his blaster, and recalled his lightsaber to his hand, jogging off back the way he had come in, wondering how his friends were doing at the moment.

* * *

 _ **Main Reactor Room, Sally and Elias…**_

Sally hit the wall hard, sinking down as she fought to shake the cobwebs from the impact, a result of the Force Push she had received courtesy of Elias.

The Grand Inquisitor barrelled towards her, lightsaber raised as he prepared to deal the fatal blow to his younger sister.

Seeing the blow coming, Sally willed herself to roll out of the way, watching as Elias gouged a deep wound into the wall. Meeting his next assault, Sally led his blade off to the left, deactivating her left hand ring blade so that she could land a massive left hook to Elias' jaw, sending him staggering back. Moving forward, she ducked his attempt to behead her, and rolled underneath the attack, turning just in time to meet his blade, their weapons crackling with the impact.

"It's pointless, Sally." Elias declared. "Eventually, you will go down. And there's no-one, not even your hyperactive husband, that will save you when that happens."

Sally responded by pushing Elias away, jabbing at him with both ring blades before surprising her brother with a heel kick, which threw him off slightly. Quickly deactivating her ring blades, Sally grabbed her brother by the head, and threw him to her left, sending him back onto the walkway. Re-activating her ring-blades, she resumed her attack, keeping her brother on his toes with nimble, precise movements, designed to pressurise his defence until it either gave, or she found an opening.

Elias parried his sister's attacks with practiced ease, recognising that this battle would not won through brute force, like he had been trying to do since the duel started, but with a little finesse. Finally deciding to counter, he pushed Sally's ring blades aside and made to behead her again.

Sally ducked and rolled underneath the attack, turning around to face her brother as quickly as possible.

But not quickly enough.

Within an instant of Sally turning, Elias spun around, and drove his lightsaber up to the hilt into Sally's torso.

Sally's face fell, and she let out a pained choke, one that caught a particular hedgehog's attention.

" _ **NO!"**_ Sonic roared as he watched Elias jerk his lightsaber free from Sally's chest, looking on helplessly as Sally staggered back, turning around and managing a few steps before toppling forwards. Dashing forwards, Sonic caught Sally as she neared the floor, cradling his wife in his arms. "No, no, no, no, no…" he muttered as he gazed down at Sally, who was almost helpless in his arms.

A shadow above him caught Sonic's attention, and he looked up to see Elias.

"How romantic." Elias said. "In love until the end, it seems." At this, he raised his lightsaber, prepared to kill Sonic, and finish the job on his sister. Until…

" _ **ELIAS!"**_

Elias' stroke stopped in mid-air, mere inches from Sonic's neck. Turning, he saw an obsidian armoured figure, with a cowl covering his face. Smiling, Elias took a step forward. "The Ghost… we meet at last."

The Ghost scoffed. "It's not the first time we've met."

Elias detected something familiar about the Ghost's voice, but could not pinpoint it. "I assume not."

The Ghost remained where he was, saying: "Now you find out who I am. And now," as he said this, he lowered his hood, revealing the visage of Roman the Fox. "like I said, you're going to wish I was just a ghost." Roman said.

* * *

 **Ah, snap! I love it when a good chapter comes together. Sorry for the slight delay in updating, but as this chapter was quite long, you can see why I had to delay updating.**

 **Oh, and please don't kill me for having Sally get stabbed! It was the only thing I could think of at the time of writing. Sorry to all those Sally fans out there. And to all those non-Sally fans out there, do not log up my reviews page for this pic with your rejoicing that Sally could be killed off. Those will only be deleted.**

 **Other than that, please leave your reviews (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	19. Chapter 19: Out From the Shadows

**Chapter 19: Out From the Shadows**

Elias' face curled into a scowl as the suspicion that had nagged the back of his mind ever since the surfacing of 'The Ghost' was finally proven to be correct. "Roman the Fox." Elias said through gritted teeth. "I might've known."

Roman stepped forward, saying: "I told you you'd wish I was a ghost, Elias."

Elias scoffed. "Hardly. I secretly hoped you hadn't died. Just so I could make doubly sure I killed you this time." Pointing his lightsaber at Roman, Elias added: _**"By removing your head."**_

Roman raised an eyebrow and felt his neck. "Easier said, than done." He replied, snatching his lightsaber from his belt, and igniting it, holding it at the ready as he glared at Elias.

Elias shook his head. "I'd have it no other way." He snarled.

The two enemies stayed where they were, the tension between them stretched to snapping point.

Finally, Elias tore the tension and charged, a growl forming in his throat.

Roman reciprocated, charging Elias as well with a furious roar, swinging his lightsaber as hard as he could muster, just as his adversary did the same.

The moment their blades met, the sheer force at which their owners swung them was enough to send them both backwards.

Recovering quickly, Roman instantly leapt forward to meet Elias, parrying the Grand Inquisitor's inaugural strike, and countering with a strike of his own.

Elias parried this strike and spun away, attacking again after putting some distance in-between himself and Roman.

Roman blocked the blow, finding himself being pushed back a matter of metres before pushing Elias' blade away from his, parrying the next flurry of strikes from Elias, all attempts to try and behead him. Some he parried, others he blocked, and any more were just dodged. He was well aware of himself being pushed back towards the elevator from whence he had entered the room, but he wasn't bothered about that. As long as he got Elias as far away from Sally as he could.

A sharp Force Push ended his trail of thought, sending him flying back into the wall behind him, fortunately on the control panel for the elevator, the door to which opened.

Seizing the opening, Elias ran up and leaped into the air, hoping to cleave Roman in two from head to toe with his next strike.

Shaking his head to clear it of the cobwebs, Roman reached out with one hand, seizing Elias with the Force, and tossed him into the elevator directly next to him. Standing in front of the doorway, he parried the thrust from Elias before lashing out with his foot, connecting with a blunt forward kick that knocked Elias into the elevator. Leaping inside, Roman quickly pressed the button which indicated the level he wished to go up to, and behind him, the doors to the elevator closed.

* * *

 _ **With Sonic and the bombing team…**_

Sonic had seized the chance Roman had bought him to drag the barely conscious Sally back to the rest of the team, who had since finished planting the explosives.

"Looks like we are stuck down 'ere until Elias and Roman are finished slicing up zee elevator." Antoine said before he was sharply nudged in the ribs by Bunnie.

"Now's not the time t' be being pessimistic Antoine!" She scolded her husband.

Sonic, ignoring this little spat, looked up to Silver, the blue blur's next sentence dripping wet with desperation: "Can you heal her?"

Silver held up his hands resignedly as he replied: "There's only so much psychokinesis can do, Sonic. Healing wounds isn't one of those things."

"All we can do, is pray Sally holds on long enough to get medical attention." Shadow said, placing a reassuring hand on Sonic's shoulder.

Sonic turned to his former rival turned friend and hesitantly nodded. "Silver, while we're here, would you mind trying to find us a way out of here that doesn't involve the elevator?"

The golden eyed hedgehog nodded, saying: "On it." as he started hovering in the air, rising up as he levitated himself in search of a way out.

Sonic watched Silver leave before turning to Sally, who had a vacant look in her eyes, a rare thing for her, as she was often always alert and ready for anything. Turning her face towards her, Sonic said: "Hold on, Sally. We'll get you to a medic. I promise."

All Sally could manage was to reach up and touch her husband's cheek, giving him a ghost of a smile that said: _I'm not giving up yet, Sonic. So don't you dare give up on me._

Sonic noticed this and smiled, brushing a stray strand of Sally's auburn hair aside, saying softly: "I'm not, Sal. I'm not." As he said this, he reached down and placed his hand over Sally's heart, feeling it beat defiantly within as she fought to remain alive. Leaning in, Sonic gave Sally a kiss on the forehead, as he often did when she was asleep.

It was as this was happening that Silver returned, pointing upwards. "There's another elevator that comes down only to the upper level." The psychokinetic hedgehog replied. "I could probably lift us up there, but it'll take a lot out of me, so I won't be much use in a fight."

Sonic looked Silver in the eye, and then down at Sally, and back up to Silver again with a curt: "Do it."

* * *

 _ **Artika Base Command Centre…**_

"So, what do we do now?" Tails asked as he sat down on a chair.

"Beats me." Seth said, folding his arms and leaning back against a wall. "I guess we just wait for our friends downstairs to finish planting the bombs and get the fuck out of here."

"What about our two friends here?" Ashley asked, motioning to the colonel and her subordinate.

Seth shrugged. "Just kill them. They're not much use now."

"That would be an option, if we were heartless unscrupulous monsters with absolutely no moral fibre." Tails said, eyeing Seth with a look.

Seth moved off of the wall and over to Tails, saying: "So you're suggesting we let them go? So that they can bite us in the ass again? Oh, talk about a good way to get yourself killed, my young apprentice!"

"It's the honourable thing to do." Tails replied, unseating himself and folding his arms as he eyed Seth. "And now that Roman's alive, you're not my master anymore."

Seth sighed. "Honour is what cost most Jedi their lives, Tails. These days, honour is a one way ticket to ending up seven feet under."

"So you're resorting to killing defenceless prisoners in cold blood?" Tails demanded. "That's effectively thinking like the Empire, Seth. The very people we are hoping to topple. Honour is what sets us apart from them."

"The kid raises a good point Seth." Shatter said.

Seth turned to Shatter with a curt snarl of: "Keep out of this." Turning back to Tails, Seth said: "I'm not saying honour isn't a good quality. It is. Just not in these times, where like I said, it only gets you killed. And since I'm going to be a dad in a few months, I'd rather not get killed just now."

Tails placed his arms on his hips, replying: "And what would your kid say if they knew that their father was a ruthless rogue Jedi who kills defenceless prisoners? Huh? If I were them, I'd be horrified."

His blood now up, Seth grabbed Tails roughly. "Leave my unborn kid out of this!"

Tails' eyes narrowed. "Uh, you brought it up in the first place." The twin-tailed Jedi retorted.

With a grunt of resignation, Seth released Tails, saying: "Fine, you win. But don't yell at me if they-"

"Seth, watch out!" Tails yelled as he shoved Seth aside, catching the blaster bolt that was meant for the older Jedi in the chest, knocking him over.

Colonel Aryn, who had used the distraction of the argument between the two Jedi to scoot over to the nearest of the enemy with a blaster, and draw it, quickly turned to Commander Stark and shot his restraints, shouting: "Move!" as she ran towards him and ushered him out of the door.

Ashley watched them leave, saying to those tending to Tails: "Stay here! I'll go after them!" At this, she sprinted out of the room, pursuing their former prisoners.

* * *

 _ **With Roman and Elias, Elevator Shaft…**_

Roman sidestepped the oncoming downward slash from Elias and spun around, slashing at Elias in hopes of beheading Elias instead. When this blow was blocked, Roman spun back around and slashed this time at Elias' legs with intent to remove them.

Elias jumped over Roman and spun around, driving his lightsaber with as much force as he could muster towards Roman's abdomen.

Roman parried with a forceful slash, countering with a stab of his own, that was similarly blocked. Backing away, he and Elias eyed themselves and their surroundings carefully.

They were currently atop the roof of the elevator they had only just been in, a result of them slashing the interior of the elevator so badly the whole thing had just decided to effectively say: _Fuck it! I'm done!_ and shut off completely. As a further result, both were fighting a semi-cautious duel atop the elevator, trying not to sever the cables of the elevator, as such a thing would likely result in them plummeting to their doom.

Elias renewed his attack with a jab he felt was not dissimilar to standard Mobian swordplay. When this was parried, he brought his lightsaber around in a vicious slash at Roman's throat in yet another effort to behead the vulpine Jedi.

Roman blocked the blow, and the two enemies' blades locked together, creating an all too familiar scenario. Seizing the initiative, Roman pushed against Elias, shoving the Grand Inquisitor back until they were nearing the edge.

Elias allowed Roman to push him closer to the edge, but quickly stepped aside, hoping that Roman's momentum would carry him over the edge.

Roman stumbled forward and almost did fall, had he not jumped to the wall opposite him and back-flipped off of that back onto the elevator. Upon landing, Roman turned back around, spinning his lightsaber and slashing at Elias in hopes of cutting the dark warrior in half.

Elias parried the blow, but in doing so, he heard his lightsaber slash through something, that something turning out to be the rope on his side of the elevator.

Quickly turning, Roman saw he had done the same with his rope. Looking back at Elias, they both muttered the same word in complete unison:

" _ **Shit…"**_

As if on cue, the elevator sharply dropped, causing both to stumble.

Quickly recovering, they both leaped up, each grabbing a piece of elevator cable.

Swinging themselves, they started to cut and thrust at each other from their respective hanging spots, but not in an effort to kill each other, but to cut through the other's cable, sending them to a very unpleasant death.

The roar of an explosion beneath them ceased that, and they both looked down to see a mass of flame tearing upwards toward them. Looking up one again, they each voice their respective displeasure at this turn of events:

 ** _"Fuck…"_**

They quickly began climbing, temporarily forestalling their duel in an effort to escape being burnt alive.

* * *

 _ **With Sonic, Sally, Silver, Shadow and Rouge…**_

The elevator doors hissed open as Sonic, holding the barely conscious Sally bridal style, burst out and sprinted off full pelt, while Shadow and Rouge supported the exhausted Silver, helping him out of the elevator as they ran after Sonic.

Contacting the others, Sonic called out: "All teams, this is Sonic! Sally is wounded, I repeat, Sally is wounded! What's your position?" It was a painful few moments before a voice called back:

"Sonic, this is Seth. Most of us are holed up in the Command Centre. Meet us there."

Sonic nodded and sprinted that way, saying: "Hold on, Sal. Help's nearby."

Sally could only nod as she held on to consciousness, grasping it as tightly as she could muster.

Behind them, Shadow, using his speed, was catching up, now holding Silver in his arms bridal style. Rouge flew at his side.

"I hate that hedgehog sometimes." Shadow moaned as he ran along whilst trying to ensure Silver did not topple out of his arms.

"Cut him some slack, honey." Blaze said to her ebony lover. "He's in danger of losing Sally. Ask yourself, would you do the same if it were us in his and Sally's position?"

It took a short amount of time for Shadow to respond: "Yes."

"Exactly." Rouge said as they continued following Sonic.

* * *

 _ **Inside the Command Centre…**_

Seth opened the doors just as Sonic sprinted in, holding Sally in his arms.

Running over, Seth asked: "How is she?"

"Barely even conscious." Sonic replied. "She took a damn lightsaber to the chest, Seth! How does that constitute a simple: 'How is she'?"

"Just asking." Seth said, shouting: "Medic!"

Within seconds, Blaze was nearby, already getting out various tools of the trade. "I've already dealt with lightsaber wounds when I saved Roman's ass two years ago." She said. "So, I would be right in saying that I'm the best woman for the job."

"Well, work your magic, clock's ticking!" Sonic said desperately.

"Okay, okay, geez, calm down!" Blaze said as Shadow and Rouge came in, carrying Silver. Noticing this, Blaze let out a groan of frustration. "Just what happened to my boyfriend?" She demanded.

"He expended most of his energy getting us to an elevator." Shadow said. "The one on our level was… unavailable."

"Meaning?" Seth asked.

"Meaning Roman and Elias are in there in an effort to cut one another to pieces." Shadow said bluntly.

"Ah." Seth said.

"You're sure saying: 'Ah' a lot these days, Seth." Tails said, smirking. His chest was bandaged from where the Colonel had shot him, which was lucky, as the bolt had not hit any of the twin-tailed vulpine's vitals.

Looking around while Blaze got to work on Sally, Sonic asked: "Where's Ashley? And what happened to you?" Sonic said, pointing at Tails.

"We had some prisoners." Tails said. "Seth and I got into a small argument on what to do with them, and they used the distraction to escape. Ashley's currently chasing them both down."

"Which I take _no_ responsibility for." Seth said.

"Tell that to Ahsoka once I've told her." Tails said with a smirk.

At the thought, Seth's face turned a deathly pale. He hadn't thought of that.

Everyone burst out laughing, even Shadow, as Blaze got back to work on Sally.

After a few tense minutes, Blaze sat up, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Well, that was lucky." She said.

Sonic came forward, asking: "Will she be okay?"

Blaze nodded. "Yeah. She will."

Relief flowed through Sonic like a gentle stream as he replied: "Blaze, I could kiss you right now."

"You'd better not." Said the now slightly recovered Silver. "Otherwise I'll send you through the roof."

Everyone burst out laughing as they got back to work.

* * *

 _ **With Ashley…**_

Leaping forward, Ashley's arms barely found themselves around the knees of Colonel Aryn, sending both women sprawling.

Leaping to her feet first, Colonel Aryn lashed out with a kick to Ashley's chest, knocking the feline down. Waiting for Ashley to get up, the colonel spun around with intent to kick Ashley's head in.

Catching the blow before it landed, Ashley retaliated with a spinning heel kick that caught her adversary square in the face, sending the colonel onto the back foot. Instantly going on the offensive, Ashley slammed her fist into Aryn's stomach, doubling the colonel over, and backing away, kicked upwards, causing Aryn to stagger backwards. Following her movements, Ashley went for the knockout blow, a spinning roundhouse kick she had come to favour as an almost signature move of hers.

Ducking the kick just as it came to land, Aryn forward rolled out of the way, and lunged forwards, kicking out with her foot with a super-kick, one that landed, knocking her feline opponent down from the sheer force of it. Seizing the chance, Aryn dived onto Ashley, raining down a series of right hooks, eager to finally finish the fight.

Ashley kicked upwards, catching the colonel in the back of the head and knocking her off, the two females quickly moving to a vertical base and facing each other.

"You're good Mobian; I'll hand that to you." Colonel Aryn said.

"Helps that I finished training at the top of my class in martial arts." Ashley replied. "Though, since I look the way I do, that kind of becomes mandatory."

"That I agree on." Colonel Aryn said, wiping some blood from her lip. "But still, enough talk!" At this, she tackled Ashley into the adjacent wall, pinning her there as she reared back for a punch, her fist cocked like an ancient gun.

Ashley quickly dodged the blow, watching as it thudded into the wall next to her and hearing the colonel cry in pain as the sudden blow jarred her arm. Seizing the opening, Ashley instantly went for her roundhouse kick, but it was dodged, as she and her adversary found herself at a stalemate again.

"Another stalemate." Colonel Aryn said disappointedly, just as her com-link crackled to life:

"Colonel! This is Commander Stark! Me and the two Inquisitors are on board the shuttle! If we're to escape, we should do so now!"

"I'll meet you there, Commander." Ashley said, closing the comm. Looking up at Ashley, she shrugged. "Guess a stalemate is where we'll leave it." At this, she sprinted off again.

"Not on my watch!" Ashley shouted as she made to follow her objective.

* * *

 _ **With Roman and Elias…**_

The doors to the elevator were thrown open as Roman smashed through them, using his momentum to backflip in mid-air and land on his feet.

Elias sailed through the ruined doorway moments later, and charged Roman, their duel continuing.

The sounds of their blades clashing once again permeated the air, the walls resounding with the furious sounds of their duel.

Parrying an overhead slash from Elias, Roman spun around, slashing directly for his opponent's neck in an effort to behead the former prince.

Dodging the slash, Elias quickly parried Roman's follow up attack, and blocked the jab Roman made after that. Spinning out of the way of the next attack Roman made, Elias made to disable Roman's leg by slashing at it from the side.

Roman quickly spun around and stopped Elias' blade before it could leave him minus one leg, quickly kicking out with his foot and knocking Elias back into the wall. Spinning his lightsaber, Roman slashed aggressively at Elias, hoping to finally end the traitor's life once and for all.

Ducking the attack, Elias watched as Roman's lightsaber gouged a nasty ridge into the wall, the sound of his blade meeting the wall almost a cry of pain from the wall. Moving in, Elias spun his own lightsaber, bringing it down in another overhead slash.

Sidestepping the attack, Roman quickly backed away, blocking, parrying, or simply dodging the furious attacks of Elias until he saw an opening. Kicking out with his foot, he caught Elias' lightsaber arm, knocking the weapon from his hand and head-butting Elias in the face, knocking the Grand Inquisitor over. Pointing his lightsaber down at Elias, Roman said: "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

"Well, they say patience is a virtue." Elias said, quickly kicking upwards and knocking Roman's own lightsaber from hand. "So I'm sure you can wait a little longer for it." Getting to his feet, he tackled Roman fiercely onto the floor, beginning to rain down punches on the Jedi he had hated for so long.

Blocking most of the punches, Roman finally lashed out with one of his own, knocking Elias off of him and trying to get to his feet, reaching out to summon his lightsaber.

Elias tackled him again before that could happen, but this time, found himself being flipped over Roman. Getting to his feet, Elias made to attack again, but Roman was ready, and Elias soon tasted Roman's boot to his jaw, which knocked him over.

Placing one foot on Elias' chest, Roman reached out, summoning his lightsaber to him, and igniting it, raising it high above his head, bringing it down upon Elias.

Elias quickly reached out to his own lightsaber, calling it to his hand and igniting it just in time, bringing it in front of him and blocking Roman's attempt at a death-blow. Suddenly, the all too familiar sound of alarms blaring came to their ears, coupled with an automated voice saying:

"All hands leave the base. Self-Destruct has been activated. Please vacate the area A.S.A.P. Base destruction will occur in T-Minus ten minutes."

Roman looked away from Elias for just that second, which was all Elias needed.

Pushing Roman's blade off of his, Elias slashed at Roman with his lightsaber, aiming directly for his abdomen. He may not be able to take Roman's head, but at least he would watch as Roman fell before him in two halves.

Roman jumped back to avoid the blow, but was not fast enough to dodge all of it, as he quickly felt the stabbing pain he always felt as Elias' lightsaber raked across his abdomen, from his right pectoral to the left of his waistline. Staggering back, he held his lightsaber at the ready, just as Elias attacked again. Using one hand, Roman managed to parry Elias' blows as they came, while his other hand held his wound. Blocking one particular blow, Roman pushed Elias' blades away and kicked him back, now holding his lightsaber with both hands.

Elias rolled his shoulders, saying: "You weaken. I can feel it. 'Tis only a matter of time now, Roman. Eventually, you will be weakened enough for me to finally take your head."

Roman rolled his shoulders. "But until that happens, I'm just going to keep fighting." At this, he spun his lightsaber and attacked again. He was not giving up now. At least if he died, Elias would die with him.

* * *

 _ **Command Centre…**_

"What did you do?!" Seth demanded to Vector.

The anthropomorphic crocodile raised his hands defensively as he replied: "I dunno. I sat down on that console, and… that happened." As he said this, he pointed at the main screen, which had turned into a countdown to self destruct, which now read: _Time remaining until Self-Destruct: 9 minutes, 42 seconds._

"Well, you obviously did something;" Tails said as he examined the console. "because the base is set to go up in nine and a half minutes. _And counting."_

"That Colonel and her friend must've made the preliminary preps to start the sequence, and you must've sat on the button that's started the sequence." Sonic said, folding his arms as he stared at Knuckles accusingly.

A weak cough drew their attention, as a weak female voice said: "That's… rather astute."

Sonic turned to face his still-recovering wife, and said: "I know. But try not to talk. Just rest."

Sally reluctantly nodded, as Amy stepped forward:

"Well, since we have approximately eight minutes until this entire structure blows up, how about we cut the chatter and get the fuck out of here?!" She said agitatedly.

"Amy's got a point." Shatter said. "We're only going to die if we sit around. We need to move, and we need to do it now." Turning to Tusk, he said: "With me." At this, they opened the door and jumped through, aiming their blasters down either side of the corridor.

"Clear!" the two clones shouted in unison.

Placing his helmet over his head, Seth said: "You heard him: Get together all your shit and let's get out of here! Time to go home!"

"But what about Roman and Ashley?" Tails asked as he put on his armour, which he had taken off after they had taken the room.

"I'm sure they'll be able to escape." Seth said, though he sounded a little less than convinced.

"Are you sure?" Tails asked.

Seth shook his head as he said angrily: _"I don't know, okay?!_ Now let's pull our heads out of our asses and fucking move!" At this, he grabbed Tails roughly and shoved him out of the room, following him out. Taking the lead, he quickly started running. He could have easily used his jetpack, but he preferred not. That was only for when he really needed it. Thoughts of Ahsoka and their unborn child entered his mind, and he turned them into fuel for him giving him the strength to keep running.

* * *

 _ **With Ashley, Artika Base Hangar…**_

With a grunt of exertion, Ashley finally grabbed Colonel Aryn around the legs again, sending them tumbling into a nearby crate.

Both women got to their feet, the colonel quickly launching a roundhouse kick at Ashley in an effort to take her out and buy herself time to get to the shuttle.

Ashley blocked the blow with her elbow, and countered by slamming her forearm into Aryn's jaw, knocking her adversary back. Using the crate nearby as a stepping stone of sorts, Ashley jumped onto it and back off again, smashing her fist into Colonel Aryn's jaw in a vicious Superman Punch, another favourite attack of hers.

Staggering back, Aryn was able to block Ashley's next strike and respond with one of her own, doubling Ashley over with a knee to the feline's abdomen, and delivering a fierce elbow to Ashley's temple.

Multicoloured spots danced in front of Ashley's eyes as she staggered away from the blow, holding her head with one arm. But not so much as to not notice the blow hurtling toward her head, which she blocked and countered with a high kick that knocked Aryn senseless. Recovering herself and shaking the cobwebs from her head, Ashley saw her opponent was dazed. Employing a tactic she often saw Roman employ, she held up her fists, and steadily began landing a series of right and left hooks, whilst dodging any strikes Aryn threw her way. In a way, she was toying with Aryn, whilst keeping her on the back foot, at least until she was confident of striking the knock-out blow.

Aryn staggered away from most of these, but quickly, showing she was playing possum, caught Ashley's next right hand, and catching Ashley's left hook as well, pulled Ashley closer and smashed her head into Ashley's face, knocking the young feline back. Returning to the offensive, Aryn landed a spinning heel kick that further off-balanced Ashley, and prepared herself to deliver her knock-out blow, a jumping knee strike she had grown to favour, not just for its capability, but for its simplicity. Most martial arts required a certain degree of flexibility, and while she had that, she preferred more simple attacks, ones that while simple, did the trick equally as well as more complicated moves, such as the spinning roundhouse kick she had noticed her adversary had been attempting. Seeing that Ashley was just where she was needed for Aryn's strike to have its full effect, Aryn leaped into the air, lunging forward with her knee extended, prepared to incapacitate her opponent.

Ashley saw the attack coming, and quickly sidestepped, catching the colonel off guard with a high kick to the chest that knocked the colonel off of her feet and dazed her. Picking her up, Ashley reared back with her fist, preparing to land the blow that would stop her opponent from escaping for some time, when her advanced hearing picked up something coming from a nearby corridor. When she listened more closely, her eyes widened at what she heard:

The clashing of lightsabers.

* * *

As if on cue, she watched as Roman stumbled into view, followed suit by an irate Elias. She could see that both bore wounds from what was obviously a hard fought duel. Of the two, she could see to her dismay, Roman was the worst for wear.

Suddenly, she felt herself being pushed away, and turned to see Colonel Aryn rearing back for one final punch. Ducking the blow, Ashley turned around just in time, leaping into the air and flawlessly connecting with her favourite strike, the spinning roundhouse kick, which connected seamlessly with her adversary's temple, sending her crumpling to the floor, finally knocked out. Landing on the floor, she looked up to see that Elias had knocked Roman down, and was looking in her direction.

"Cersei!" Elias called out, and his face curled into one of rage as he made to charge Ashley. "You'll pay for what you've done!" A Force-Push sent him sprawling though, and he turned to meet the blade of a seemingly reinvigorated Roman, parrying many of Roman's attacks.

Roman had no idea what had come over him as he attacked Elias, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Ashley, as he had noticed it was her Elias had been addressing when the latter had said that she'd pay for what she had done to the Imperial officer that was currently lying at Ashley's feet. Elias had moved to attack, and Roman's instincts had taken over. Now, he was attacking the Grand Inquisitor, far more viciously than he had even when he had watched Elias murder King Acorn. Striking again and again, he slowly drove Elias back, but far more rapidly than he had earlier in their duel. Finally, he made one final attack, a massive downward slash he put every ounce of his considerable strength into.

And Elias went down.

The Grand Inquisitor was up again in an instant, meeting Roman blow for blow, but again, another massive blow broke his defence, knocking his lightsaber from his hand completely. The hilt skittered away, harmless for now.

With a final roar of adrenaline fuelled rage, Roman spun around, and slashed Elias viciously across his shoulder and face, gouging a deep wound to the shoulder, but a more shallow one to the face, marring the Grand Inquisitor's handsome visage.

With a cry of pain, Elias toppled, his left hand covering his face. When he removed it after a matter of moments, it revealed a prominent burn slashed into his once handsome appearance. He tried moving his right arm, but found he could not. Instead, it refused to obey the commands his brain sent to it. Looking up, he gazed once again into the brown eyes of Roman.

Roman moved closer to Elias, breathing heavily as the rush of adrenaline left him. Falling to one knee, he looked at Elias with a weary look. It was the first time he had ever had Elias this vulnerable. One more stroke. One final downward slash, and he could finally achieve the goal he had strove to accomplish ever since he had woken up in the care of Blaze and Silver two years before. Rising to his feet, he made to raise his lightsaber high above his head to deliver the coup de grace.

But a gentle hand found his shoulder, and a well-known voice said:

"He's beaten. Let it go."

Roman turned and looked into the eyes of the one girl he cared about above all else: Ashley. Looking down, he clenched his fists, knowing this could be the final chance he ever had to kill Elias. But he instead looked at Ashley and nodded, just as they heard the familiar sound of:

"Final warning. Base will self-destruct in T-minus ninety seconds."

Roman turned to register the message, and switched off his lightsaber, saying to Ashley: "Come on. Let's get out of here." At this, he made to walk away, but stumbled, falling again to one knee.

"Somebody's hurt worse than they let on." Ashley said playfully as she walked over, draped Roman's arm over her shoulders, and carefully helped him walk, the alarms blaring their final warnings as the room started shaking. At least if they failed to make it, they would die together.

* * *

 **Well, that was fun. Sure, it was hard for me to start writing this chapter, but once I got a rhythm going, well, piece of cake.**

 **Anyhow, please leave your reviews, (NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


	20. Chapter 20: Whole Again

**Chapter 20: Whole Again**

 _ **With Ahsoka, and Nicole, Ruins of Artika Prison, 18**_ _ **th**_ _ **July 3241, 00:30 am**_

Ahsoka jumped at the roar of an explosion, quickly rising to her feet as she ran over to the entrance to the prison ruins, watching as in the distance, Artika Base went up like a fireworks display, a mighty conflagration replacing the imposing structure. Looking closely, she watched with a scowl as an Imperial shuttle became visible in the sky, flying away from the area like a silent: _Fuck you!_ Looking out, her eyes desperately searched the landscape for any signs that her friends had also made it out alive, squinting over the frozen area, bathed in a fiery light as the explosion slowly continued. Her heart sank as her eyes spotted no sign of her friends and she finally resorted to using the one thing she had not done since her pregnancy began:

Reaching out with the Force, she closed her eyes as she searched for any Force signatures, or any signs of life coming from the direction of the exploding base. Finally, she could feel something, coming towards the base from the explosion, but very faint, so she could not determine whether the thing she sensed was that of her friends or some other Imperial survivors, those that had not been able to join whoever was on the shuttle due to issues of space.

The sound of her com-link crackling to life drew her attention as a voice she had yearned to hear came through:

"Ahsoka, this is Seth! No need to worry, we're all alright. Just sit tight, we're on our way."

"Thank the Force you're alright!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "I kept sensing you were in danger." Collecting herself, she asked: "Is it just me, or does trouble keep finding you?"

"It's not that _trouble_ keeps finding me, it's that _I_ seem to have a tendency to find trouble wherever the fuck I go." Seth replied. "A rather annoying tendency, if you ask me."

Ahsoka giggled while her hand found her rotund womb as she replied: "Would this tendency have a chance of being inherited by our child?"

"I don't know. I'm no expert on genes." Seth replied.

Ahsoka laughed out loud as she retorted: "For your sake, I'd best hope they don't. Otherwise, I'll know who to blame."

Seth chuckled as he said: "Might not be so bad."

Ahsoka laughed again as she said: "This coming from the biggest troublemaker I know?"

"Uh, _second_ biggest troublemaker you know. The biggest would be myself." Said another voice.

Ahsoka smiled as she said: "Almost forgot you, Roman. I've been dealing with Seth's mischief for two whole years I almost forgot you were the one that made him that way."

"Would you have it any other way?" Roman asked.

"No." Ahsoka said.

"Exactly." Roman said. "Well, we'll leave you for now. Just sit tight, and expect Seth back in your pants by the time we get back to Angel Island."

Ahsoka's cheeks reddened as she realised Roman's meaning, replying: "You are aware I'm pregnant, right? Haven't forgotten?"

"No I haven't. And may I remind you there are sex positions that can be utilised during pregnancy?" Roman asked teasingly.

Ahsoka sighed and said: "See you later, Roman." At this, she cut the comm, Roman's laughter the last thing she heard. Leaning against the side of the wall, she folded her arms, waiting to see whatever her friends were using as transport to appear on the landscape.

* * *

 _ **On the Imperial Shuttle…**_

"And why, just _why_ did we have to rescue The Grand Inquisitor and the Colonel?!" The Third Brother complained as he paced the main cargo hold. "When we could have easily just left them to die?"

"Their wounds were not fatal;" Commander Stark replied. "Therefore, what would the point be?"

The Third Brother whirled around and snarled: "I was _not_ addressing _you,_ Commander!" Turning to The Second Sister, the Third Brother raised his arms in a condescendingly questioning manner, demanding: "So? Why did we have to rescue them? Hmm?"

"Like the Commander said, as their wounds were not fatal; there was little point." The Second Sister replied. "And besides, you know as well as I do how high an opinion both Lord Vader and the Emperor have of the Grand Inquisitor. I have little doubt they would be most displeased if we were discovered to have left them to die."

"Hmph." The Third Brother harrumphed. "That is something I have little care for. Were I in command, I would have left them to die. They deserve to pay that price for their failure."

"That's the thing;" The Second Sister said, standing up and facing her pompous colleague. "You're _not_ in command."

The Third Brother scoffed as he said: "Such behaviour would get you whipped like a dog on Shili."

"We're not on Shili either." The Second Sister said. "So unless you wish me to forcibly remove your tongue and lower jaw, I suggest you sit down and keep your mouth shut for the rest of the journey."

The Third Brother folded his arms and remained standing. "Make me." He dared.

The Second Sister shrugged before connecting her fist to the Third Brother's jaw, staggering the Togruta. Pushing him, she forced him into a seat, saying: "There. Done." Letting go, she backed away, just as he shot out of his chair and made to charge.

But before any further hostilities could arise, a telekinetic push sent the Third Brother back into his seat, and strapped him in, and did the same for the Second Sister.

Both turned to see the one single Force wielder they knew in the room, that being the Grand Inquisitor, who was now wide awake, although lying on a stretcher. His right arm still hung uselessly at his side.

" _ **Enough."**_ The Grand Inquisitor said forcefully.

* * *

The Second Sister and Third Brother watched as the Grand Inquisitor swung himself into a sitting position, where he eyed the both of them.

"When did you wake?" The Second Sister asked.

Elias faced her before reaching out with his left hand towards the Third Brother, making a pincer of his good hand, which caused the Third Brother to start choking. "I came to around the time the Third Brother said: 'were I in command, I would have left them to die'." Standing up, but stumbling a little, Elias walked towards the Third Brother, and said: "Speak against me or a superior again, and I will make good on what the Second Sister threatened to do." Moving closer, Elias growled: "Is that clear?"

Glaring at the Grand Inquisitor, the Third Brother nodded, hatred festering in his gaze.

"Excellent." Elias said, releasing the arrogant Togruta. "Now, the threat also applies if you open your mouth to speak even once during the remainder of this flight." Walking over, he sat down on the stretcher he had only just been lying on, just as the cockpit door opened and Colonel Aryn entered, noticing Elias quickly.

"Eli-Grand Inquisitor. You've come to." Cersei said, smiling.

"So I have, Colonel Aryn." Elias said, also smiling. "So I have." In doing this, he failed to notice the Third Brother studying him and the colonel as they talked.

 _Are they?_ The Third Brother thought as he recognised the signs the Grand Inquisitor and the Colonel were showing. He'd seen those signs plenty of times on Shili among his friends and various female companions of theirs. Rapidly, a plan began forming in his head; One of revenge.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, Ruins of Artika Prison...**_

Roman stepped out of the troop transport to find Ahsoka having already ran over, kissing Seth passionately as she did.

"Thank the Force you're okay." She was saying. "When I heard the explosion, I feared the worst."

"Well," Roman said, "the worst didn't happen. So what's there to be worried about now?"

"Um, the fact that our enemies are still out there." Seth said. "And now they know you're still alive."

Roman shrugged. "Let them come. Because I know as much as any Freedom Fighter does that we'll be ready for them."

"Damn right." Came a familiar voice as Sally stepped out of the transport.

Roman smiled as he folded his arms. "You okay? Last I checked, you'd taken a lightsaber to the chest."

Sally chuckled as she felt the area Elias' blade had pierced her, saying: "I'm fine, really." Looking up, Sally added with a laugh: "Guess I can finally check getting stabbed with a lightsaber off of my bucket list."

Roman laughed as he said: "Beat you to it." Counting on his fingers, he held up all four fingers and his thumb, indicating the five times he'd been stabbed by a lightsaber and survived. "By five, I might add."

Sally rolled her eyes as she was joined by Sonic, who was followed out by Ashley.

Roman stepped over to her and wrapped his arms around her gently, feeling her snuggle into his shoulder.

"I still can't believe it." Ashley said. "That you're actually alive. It feels like the first time we met again. But… different."

Breaking the embrace, Roman lifted her chin to face him. "I feel that too." Brushing a stray hair behind her ear, Roman added: "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that we're here. _Together."_

Ashley fought down the urge her legs gave her to stumbled into his arms again at the emphasis Roman put on the word 'together', but her legs grew ever more wobbly when Roman added:

"And no matter what happens, this time, _nothing,_ not even Elias, will ever tear us apart again." As he said this, Roman suddenly felt an all too familiar pull, one he had not felt for two years. Letting go, Roman allowed the pull to drag his face towards Ashley as he closed his eyes.

Ashley felt the same thing, and gave in, closing her eyes as their reunion was sealed, and their lips met for the first time in two years.

* * *

Seth was the first to notice, and accordingly began to clap, followed suit by the other members of the Freedom Fighters, who started cheering as the kiss between Roman and Ashley deepened.

Tears had begun to fall from both lovers eyes, as the dreams they had conjured up of some form of reunion were finally realised.

Hours of sleepless nights on Ashley's part were finally washed away with the tears of joy that were fountaining from her eyes, as she knew now that they had been for nothing.

And for Roman, the tears were of joy as well, as the aching, smarting void in his heart left by the absence of Ashley was finally filled to the full.

Breaking the kiss, they stared into one another's eyes, both pairs sending the same message to one another:

 _I love you._

Their romantic interlude was interrupted as Roman's shoulder was grabbed by Seth, who drew Roman into a hug, saying:

"And here I thought you once said you would never get a girlfriend." Shrugging, he added: "Then again, I never thought you would either."

Roman chuckled and wrapped his arm around Ashley's waist, drawing his lover closer. "Well, guess we were wrong about that." Allowing Ashley to tuck her head into his shoulder, he looked down, and said: "But in this instance, I'm glad we were wrong."

Seth smiled and clapped his longtime friend's shoulder, just as Sally was heard to say:

"Okay, Freedom Fighters: Let's go home!"

Roman smiled at this, and he and Ashley followed along, trailing behind the rest alongside Seth and Ahsoka. The two couples looked at one another, and they smiled. After a dark two years, things were finally beginning to look up for them. And while Elias and the Imperial presence on Mobius knew of Roman's survival, they, along with the Freedom Fighters, were ready for anything their enemies could throw at them.

* * *

 **And thus ends my ninth ever Fanfic. And how fitting it is to have this book be finished on Star Wars Day. Truth be told, I had no idea Star Wars Day was today.**

 **Until about the middle of June I will be taking a hiatus from writing fanfics in order to focus on more important tasks both in life and in school, but rest assured, when that time comes, I will be back with my next fanfic, which will return to my Transformers and Sonic the Hedgehog series. I still haven't thought of a title yet, but I will soon.**

 **Until then, please leave your reviews,(AND FOR THE LAST TIME, NO FLAMES!), and May the Force be with you. Always.**

 **Also, May the Fourth be with you. Always.**

 **T-Rock14**


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